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SKETCHES 



OF 



IN 



SICILT, ITALY, .9JVJ0 FBAJSTCE. 



IN A SERIES 



OF 



ILIS^^miBg^ 



ADDRESSED TO A FRIEND 



IN THE 



UNITED STATES. 



W 



By JOHN JAMES, M. D, 






ALBAj\'Y: 
PRINTED BY PACKARD Z3 VAN BENTHUYSEN. 



1820, 



/'■ 



xi- 



Northern District of New-York, ss. 




nlB 



E it Remembered, That on the first day of January, in the 

forty-fourth year of the Independence of the United States of 

America, JOHN JAMES, of the said District, hath deposited ia 

this office the title of a book, the rijjht whereof he claims as author, 

in the words following, to wit : 

" Sketches of Travels in Sicily, Italy, and France, in a series of letters, ad- 
■dressed to a friend in the United States. By John James, M. D." 

In conformity to the act of the Congress of the United States, entitled " An 
act for the encouragement of learning-, by securing the copies of maps, charts, 
and books to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during the time therein 
mentioned." And also to an act, entitled "An act, supplementary to an act, en- 
titled an act for the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of maps, 
charts and books to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during the times 
therein mentioned, and extending the benefits thereof to the arts of designiujf, 
engraving and etching historical and other prints." 

RICH'D. R. LANSING, 

Clerk of the Northern District -of New-Yerk. 



/^. 



-J%^ 



TO THE HONORABLE 

STEP HE jy VJJY REJYSSELjIER. 

SIR, 

Your kindness in examining the Let- 
ters comprising this little volume, and in 
permitting me to present it to the public un- 
der the sanction of your approbation, are 
circumstances, which, while they encourage 
me to hope that it will not prove unaccept- 
able to an enlightened community, afford 
me a grateful opportunity of expressing to 
you personally, the assurances of my entire 
respect, and renewed obligation. 

Permit me to add, my most sincere 
wishes for your continued welfare and hap- 
piness, and that I am, 

Your obliged and humble servant, 

JOHN JAMES. 



PREFACE. 

The favorable reception of several Journals pubiislicd 
by Americans, containing- an account of their travels and 
observations in foreign countries; the desire to gratify a 
few of his friends, and the animating- hope of protlucin^ 
a book in some degree useful and acceptable to bis fellow 
citizens, are the considerations which have induced the 
writer of the following Sketches to venture before the 
public in the character of an author. 

These pages contain a plain narrative of facts and ob- 
servations, in the form of a daily journal, originally in- 
tended for the perusal of his friends, and forwarded to 
ihem in a series of letters from Europe. 

The great extent of the countries embraced in these 
Sketches, as well as the limited time employed in the 
journey, of which they are descriptive, has imposed 
upon the writer, the necessity of bmitling many details 
which the title of the yolurae may induce the reader to 
expect. As nearly the whole tour was upon classic 
ground, the author begs to anticipate the disappointment 
of the karned reader, by disclaiming all pretensions (o 
erudite investigation. The exhaustless subjects for the 
research of the scholar, the artist, and the antiquarian, 
have already occupied the pens and employed the lives of 
the ablest devotees to those pursuits ; while neither incli- 
nation prompted, nor ability enabled, the passing travel- 
ler to enter the same list, even in the character of hum- 
ble imitation. As no work in the English language has 
been lately published upon Sicily ; and never, to the au- 
a2 



vi PREFACE. 

(hor\s knowleclge, by an American, he hopes to find in 
this circumstance, some apology with the public, for the 
part of the work, hov;ever imperfect, which relates to 
that island. 

Although English writers have published many Tolumes 
upon Italy, it is still desirable that the citizens of the 
United States should make their own remarks. While 
we have rendered ourselves independent of other nations, 
it should be our ambition to form our own opinions, and 
not to borrow our ideas of the manners, religion, and 
various institutions of foreign countries, from a people 
whose representations are liable to be influenced by their 
political relations, as well as their personal peculiarities. 

In our first attempts to think, and to write for our- 
selves, we must expect many unsuccessful efforts ; and the 
author will have no reason to complain if his work finds a 
place among the unfortunate number : but he confidently 
believes, that an attempt to add to the common stock of 
information, will be received with indulgence; and he 
sends this volume abroad with the full assurance, that 
whatever may be its fate, the decision passed upon it by 
his fellow citizens, will be dictated by liberality and jus- 
tice. 



CONTEISTS. 

i9i 



LETTER I. 

Embark in the Roxana at Boston, ..Voyage to Gibraltar... 
Straits and fortress.. .Coasts of Spain and Africa.. .Voy- 
age continued.. ..Description of niedusoe... .Portuguese 
men of war.. .. Sardinia. ..Meritimo... View of Sicily... 
Arrival at Palermo.. .Prospect of quarantine.. .Sicilians. 

LETTER IL 

Quarantine.... Release from quarantine.. ..Page's Hotel.... 
Its apartments, &c....The Marina. ...Public garden,... 
Lazzaroui...The principal street. 

LETTER in. 

Vice Roy and family attending mass. ..The Ottongolo... 
Fountains. ..Statues mutilated.. .Churches, ..Mendicity... 
Fleas. ..Inconveniences at the Hotel. 

LETTER IV. 

Ill Colla.... Villa Favorite.. .The Olive.. ..Scenery.. ..Stone 
quarries... Aqueducts.. .La Bagaria... Palace of Prince 
Polonia... Queen's palace.. .Scenery. 

LETTER V. 

Sabbath.. .An excursion. ..Lizards. ..Insects. ..Vineyards... 
Prickly pear.. ..Public Square.. ..The Opera.... Ride to 
Mont Reale... Cathedral. ..Monastery... Landscape. 

LETTER VI. 

Table talk....Churches... .Situation of Palermo.. « General 
sketch of streets, markets, &c. 

LETTER VII. 

Departure from Palermo.... Faro of Messina.... Calabrian 
and Sicilian coasts... Messina from the Faro... Etna... 
SiciHan coast and Etna, views of...x\rrival at Catania... 
First view of Catania...Conyent of St. Nicoloso. 



viii CONTENTS^. 

LETTER VIIL 

Signer. Lombardo Buda.. .Elephant of lava.. .Prince de 
Biscaris... Story of his marriage.. .His garden... A dying- 
Frenchman. 

LETTER IX. 

Church of St. Nicolosc.Mass and music, ..Lava of 1669, 
covered the City.. .Monte Rosso.. .Attempt at theft and 
its punishment... Afflictions of Buda. ..Theatre of Prince 
de Biscaris.. ..St. Nicol©so....The Organ. ...Rehnquish 
visiting Etna.. .Museums.. .Roads and travelling in the 
interior* 

LETTER X. 

New-year's view....Buda's ills. ...The captain's report.... 

Descent into ancient Catania.. .View from the bay... 

Remarks. 

LETTER XL 
Departure from Catania.... Voyage through the Faro of 

Messina, a squall tliere...A water spout. ..The Lipari 

Islands,..Strombolo...A gale... Arrival at Palermo. 

LETTER XIL 

Mr. A. attended by a Palermitan physician. ..Music and 
devotion of the Palermitans...The Opera. ..Madam Dar- 
danella. ..Manners of the opera.. .Sirocc wind. ..Tem- 
perature of Sicily compared with ISew-England and 
its relation to huaian life... A masquerade. ..A religious 
procession. 

LETTER XIIL 

Sicilian diving.. .Excursion to the shrine of St. Rosalia,.. 
Mt. Peregrino... Provincial pecularities of Catania. 

LETTER XIV. 

A convent of Capuchins... Singular manner of burial... 
Ride to Mt, Reale...The Prince d'Aci at his gardens... 
New residence of my friends. 

LETTFR XV. 

Voyage to Naples.. .Description of the bay.. .Vesuvius,.. 
Arrival and prattique.... Police investigation. ...Lodg- 
ings.. .First walk in Naples.. .The Studio...'! he Cata- 
combs. 



CONTENTS. ix 

LETTER XVI. 

Review of Austrian troops... Weather... Grotto of Pausi- 
lypo...Pozzuoli... Temple of Diana.. .Solfatara... Amphi- 
theatre and other ruins of Baiae... Monastery of St. 
Januarius... Second day at Raise. ..School of Virgil... 
Lucrine lake.. .Avernus... Grotto of the Sibyl. ..Baths of 
Nero.. ..Cape of Misenus....Elysian Fields.. ..Prison of 
Nero.. .Tomb of Agrippina. 

LETTER XVn. 

The tomb of Virg-il... Public garden. ..The Opera.. .Portici... 
The King's palace and museum. 

LETTER XVin. 

Herculaneum continued. ..Pompeii. ..Vesuvius. 

LETTER XIX. 

A morning at the Studio.. .Preparations for a journey to 
Rome.. .First day's journey. ..Fondi...Terracina...E*on- 
tine marshes. ..Valletri. 

LETTER XX. 

Journey to Rome continued.., Tomb of the Horatii and 
Curatii... Arrival. 

LETTER XXL 

Arrival at Rome....T}ie first excursion. ...Pantheon... St. 
Peters.. .Quirinal and Colonna palaces. 

LETTER XXIL 

Place Colonna. ..Ceremony at the sixtine chapel.. ..The 
Pope and Cardinals.. .Galleries of the Vatican. 

LETTER XXIH. 

The Coliceum... Gardens among ruins.. .The tarpeian rock 
....The modern Capitol.. ..The church of St. Peter in 
prison. ..The Moses of Michael Angelo... Baths of Ti- 
tus Church of St. Peter in the mountain.... Pau- 
line fountain. ...Villa Pamiili....Doria palace.. ..St. Pe- 
ters. ...Place Navone.... Superb fountains.. ..Triumphal 
arches. ..Baths of Caracalla... Temple of Romulus. 



X CONTENTS. 

LETTER XXIV. 

Bath of Caracalla...Tomb of Cecilia Metella... Sabbath... 
Catacombs of St. Sebastian. ..Fountain of Egeria. 

LETTER XXV. 

Palace Farnese....Cassino do.. ..Painting's.. ..The Marquis 
Canova...Tol\va]son a Danish arti3t....Ponte Lamen- 
tano...The sacred hill. 

LETTER XXVL 

The statues of Rome... An ancient statue of St. Peter... 
Modern sculpture compared with ancient.. .The earliest 
productions of Canova... Statues sculptured by him at 
St. Peters and the Vatican. ..The tomb of Tasso... Mag- 
nificence of modern Rome.. .Modern architecture.. .St, 
Carlos... Hospitals... A morning at St. Peters. ..Excur- 
sion to livoli... Capuchin burial. ..Preparations for holy 
week. ..Manners of strangers at Rome,..,Ceremomes of 
the passion week., .Excursion to Frescati.., .Conclusion 
of ceremonies and departure from Rome. 

LETTER XXVIL 

Journey to Florence. ..Civita Castellano... Travelling com- 
panions.. .Otricoli...Terni. ..Falls of Terni... Village fete. 

LETTER XXVIIL 

Perugia.. ..Pietro Perugino.... Michael Angelo..,.Thrasi- 
menus... Defeat of Flaminius...Torriceni, 

LETTER XXIX. 
Ossaia...Cortona...Arezzo...Val d'Arno...Vallambrosa. 

LETTER XXX. 

Florence.. .The Medicean chapel. ..The Gallery of Flor- 
ence.. .Venus de Medicis.... Anatomical preparations of 
wax... Venus of Canova...The Opera. 

LETTER XXXI. 

Leghorn and journey thither.. .Return to Pisa. ..Lucca... 
Journey to L'Erice. 

LETTER XXXII. 

Voyage to Genoa in an open boat... A gale... Arrival at 



CONTENTS. xi 

Genoa. ...Era of Columbus.... Asylum for the poor.... 
Fortress Spezone.... Military review at which the King 
is present. ..The Opera. 

LETTER XXXIII. 

Genoa continued. ..Its wealth and activity.. .Harbour and 
mole.. .Arsenal... A night scene.. .Preparations for de- 
parture. 

LETTER XXXIV. 

Departure from Genoa and journey to Turin. ..Travelling 
companions... Religious procession at Monte Cavalre.... 
Arrival at Turin.. Arsenal. .General remarks, dress, &c.. 
The Opera.. .Departure from Turin. ..Suza... Ascent of 
Mt, Cenis... Break fast on the summit of the Alps.. .Inn* 
keeper and family. 

LETTER XXXV. 

Passage of the Alps continued. ..Houses of refuge... Place 
of deposit for merchandize... Descent of the Alps... 
Chamberry... Alpine scenery.. .Descent of the Alps con- 
tinued. ...Scales of Savoy.. ..Submontane excavation.... 
Pont de Beauvoisin... .Custom-house adventure... Ver- 
piliere. 

LETTER XXXVI. 

Arrival at Lyons.. .Cathedral.. .Bridge.. .Hotel de Ville... 
Street scene.. .Mons. Paul... His love of country how dis- 
covered. 

LETTER XXXVII. 

Voyage to Chalons... Village reception on the !Saone... 
Macon. ..A night on the Saone. 

LETTER XXXVIII. 

Chalons.. .Departure from that place.. .Auxerre.. .General 
remarks.. .Sens. ..Funeral monument. ..Melun...Montro... 

The King's forest.. .Villeneuve — View of Paris. 

LETTER XXXIX. 

Paris,,, Manners,.. Cabinet of natural history... Conclusion. 



SKETCHES, &c. 



LETTER I. 



Embark in the Roxana at Boston— ^Voyage to Gihral' 
tar — Straits and fortress — Coasts of Spain and Afri- 
ca-^Voyage continued — Description of medus(E — 
Portuguese men ofwar-^Sardinia—Meritimo — View 
ofSicilt/ — Arrival at Palermo — Prospect ofquaran* 
tine — Sicilians. 

Ship Roxana, off Malaga, Nov, 9, 1816. 
I FOUND the incidents ef a sea voyage so uninterest- 
ing, that I concluded not to perform my promise of writ- 
ing to you until I should have seen some spot to identify 
the old world. As proposed when I left Pittsfield, I join- 
ed Mr. and Mrs. * * * at Boston, and embarked in the 
Roxana, Capt. B. on the fiist day of October. We drop- 
ped down to Nantasket Roads with a gentle breeze, and 
were there two days becalmed, enveloped in fogs, and 
benumbed by the cold of that remarkalle season. 

When we got out to sea, the weather became warmer, 
and until our arrival in the Mediterranean, the mercury 
ranged from 60 to 65. In consequence of severe gales 
and adverse winds, we failed of making the Azores, 
where it was our intention to have taken a second depar- 
ture. We also passed to the south of Cape St. Vincent, 
and were not a little surprised, on the 8th of November, 
at 10 p. M. to find ourselves in sight of Cape J^partel. in 
Africa. The moon was near its full, the weather delight- 
ful, and we were laying our course before a gentle west- 

B 



14 

erly wind. It was not necessary for us to change our 
direction, or to delay entering the Straits of Gibraltar. 
We soon found ourselves under the influence of a strong 
current, which added to the rate of our sailing about 
three knots an hour. As we entered this celebrated pass, 
the mountains seemed to be closing around us. My cu- 
riosity kept me on deck nearly all night, but I was bare- 
ly able to distinguish the bold outline of a mountaiueous 
shore on both sides. 

At dawn we were in the narrowest point of the Strait, 
and the Rock of Gibraltar in sight, rising like a cone 
above the level of the sea, and apparently disconnected 
from the shore. All around us the high and bare moun- 
tains rose upon our view as the light increased ; and we 
could distinguish the white wails and spires of the city of 
Algeziras, situated on the west side of the Bay of Gibral- 
tar. These were the first human habitations we saw in 
Europe. We looked with delight upon the first traces of 
mankind, and felt the dreariness of ocean solitude to be 
suddenly at an end. 

We passed so near the Rock of Gibraltar that we had 
a fine view of its vast fortifications ; but our instructions 
not allowing us to enter the port, we had no opportunity 
to examine it with minuteness. The breeze continuing, 
we pursued our course, inclining towards the coast of 
Spain. As the Mediterranean expanded before us, the 
hisfh mountains of Africa receded from our view on the 
right; on the left, the naked summits and barren cliffs 
of Andelusia extended, in gigantic ridges. 

We are now in sight of Malaga, and can clearly dis- 
tinguish above the mass of its edifices, the dome of the 



15 

celebrated cathedral. The buildings of every descrip- 
tion seem to be of the sanje dull white colour, and of 
massy and durable structure. The tops of the mountains 
of Granada, covered with snow, rise, white and clear, 
above the clouds, while at their feet is extended a coun- 
try of perpetual verdure, adorned with plantations and 
enlivened with edifices. The summits of all the moun- 
tains within our view incline to a conical shape, v/hich 
gives to the coasts near us a strong and remarkable fea- 
ture. The African shore differs from that of Spain in its 
exhibiting a little more boldness and magnitude of gen- 
eral outline. 

10th. — During the night we passed Cape de Gatle. 
At dawn the African coast was still in siglst. Our 
course through the day has been east north east, and we 
have been gradually loosing the mountaineous shores. 
Except the snowy summits of Granada, which are 3'et 
visible, Cape Pallas, near Carthagena, was the last point 
to vanish behind us. At this moment the Captain has 
called all hands, and from his loud orders and hasty low- 
ering of the sails, we presume he expects bad weather. 

11th. — The squall which threatened us last evening, 
was followed by a strong wind from the north without 
clouds or rain. We were a little surprised at this circum- 
stance, because we have not before experienced a galp 
without its being attended with rain. This '* dry gale,'* 
the sailors assure us is very frequent in the Mediterrane- 
an. There is a chilliness in the air which we have not 
observed at main ocean. 

T'Jth. — Yesterday we passed Yvica and Formosa, and 
are this morning opposite Majorca. The mountains of this 
island, like all we have seen, are conical and barren. 



16 

The changes of temperature and of the wind are more 
frequent and severe than at main ocean. 

15th. — Off Sardinia^ We have lately ohserved an un- 
usual brightness in the wake of the ship during the night. 
This singular appearance seems to vary perceptibly with 
the changes of weather, and the sailors notice its increase 
as ominous of high winds. This beautiful phenomenon is 
supposed by Spallanzani and others, to be caused by smalt 
sea animals of the genus Medusa. Since we entered the 
Mediterranean, we have constantly observed a great num- 
ber of the common species of this animal. On examining 
such as we have been able to take with a scoup net con- 
structed for the purpose, we have found the M. Urticaria 
to possess, in the highest degree, the power of emitting 
light. The small animals which cause the bright spark- 
ling in the wake of the ship, are too minute to be detect- 
ed by the naked eye. The medusae are usually denomi» 
nated Sea Jellies, and when floating near the surface of 
the water, have the appearance of bodies void of life. 
When more closely observed, they are found to possess 
considerable muscular power. They are nearly trans- 
parent, though we observed several of a muddy orange 
hue, and others of a faint red, blue, &c. 'J'hese animals 
are most frequently found in warm climates, but are oc- 
casionally met with in every region. Each animal con- 
sists of a globular, gelatinous mass, covered with a trans- 
parent membrane, and having tentacnl(E, or holders, at- 
tached to its most depending part. They move through the 
water by means of the alternate contraction and dilatation 
of their bodies or disks, which are usuallj'^ convex above 
and slightly concave below. The tentaculae are from 
half an inch to two or three feet in length, and are the 



17 

instruments with which they seize their prey, or altacii 
themselves to rocks. Notwithstanding- the simple and 
delicate structure of this animal, its favorite food consists 
of small shell fish and hard insects — It is oviparous. The 
ovum and the indig-estibie remains of food are expelled 
from the same opening, which also serves as a mouth. 
Several of the medusae possess the power, when recently 
taken from the water, of producing an itching' sensation 
when applied to the skin. Hence the name of the species, 
M. Urticaria. The light emitted hy these animals is sup- 
posed to be a secretion. We caught a great number of 
various sizes, &c. but none possessed the power of emit- 
ting light, or of producing the itching sensation in so 
great a degree as the M. Urticaria. Our first prisoner 
had a vesicle attached to its disk, inflated with air. It 
floated upon the surface of the water hke a white bubble. 
The vesicle was not globular, but of an oval shape. The 
animal possessed the power of compressing the sides of 
this vesicle so as to make it hold the wind like a sail. 
Like a boat well manned, the little animal can brace vp 
sharp to the wind, or scud at his pleasure. The sailors 
call it the Portuguese man of war. The second was of a 
globular shape, having no air vesicle, and of a dirty 
orange hue. The tentaculse were very short and delicate, 
and covered with tender spiculce, which easily fell ofij 
and rendered the water in which it was kept, turbid. It 
moved feebly, and soon died. 

The third was a little larger, and more solid. Tt had 
eight tentaculae, four of which were large and hollow tubes 
for conveying food to the disk, four smaller and more 
delicate, hanging eighteen or twenty inches below the 
body of the animal. It moved with considerable vigor, 

b2 



18 

but made no effojt to escape when caught ia the handi 
The contractions and dilatations were perfectly regular, 
resembhng the action of the heart of cold blooded ani- 
mals. This motion is presumed to be essential to the 
life of the animal, as it never ceases until vitality is ex- 
tinguished. 

On touching this medusae with the back of my handy 
an itching and smarting sensation was felt like the effect 
of cowhage, or the most poisonous kind of nettles. In 
the disks of other medusae we had found some very small 
fish still alive. Having put tliese into the basin with the 
Medusa Urticaria, they soon came in contact with the 
tentacula, which instantly killed them. They were then 
slowly conveyed through the hollow tentaculae to the disk 
or body of the medusa. 

Another species we always observed in clusters, con-» 
sisting of eight or ten gelatinous masses, adhering to- 
gether by a process from the back of each. These had 
no tentaculae, and were of an oval shape, having an aper- 
ture at one end large enough to admit the little finger. 

Here also we had occasion to admire the watchfulness 
of nature in providing the means of subsistence to these 
motionless and passive beings. The mouth is so formed 
that small fish are tempted to run into it as a place of 
security from other enemies, when the valvular aperture 
by which they entered closes behind them, and prevents 
their escape. 

We kept a number of each kind for the purpose of 
examining them in the evening. All were phosphore- 
scent, or emitted light, but the M. Urticaria in much the 
highest degree. This, when disturbed, showed a bright 



19 

and silvery light, which was repeated in a feeble flasb 
three or four times after tauching- it with a stick, 

16th. — We passed Sardinia during the night. When 
we awoke from our comfortless repose (the wind had 
blown a gale) the eastern point of that island bearing 
w. N. w. was sinking far behind us. Two qu-iils, nearly 
exhausted by their long flight, attempted to light upon 
the rig-ging ; but not being able to gain firm foot hold, 
were brushed into the sea. A whale played around us, 
of a colour as light as the canvass of our sails. A fine 
turtle seemed to be asleep upon the water until we came 
very near him, and all m^cessary preparations were ready 
for his capture, when lo ! the sleeper vanished, and with 
him all our hopes of soup. 

17th. — Early in the morning we were in sight of Me- 
ritimo, a small rugged island near the western point of 
Sicily. We now had a fine breeze, and have been sail- 
ing at the rate of six knots an hour along the rocky capes 
and barren mountains of Sicily. At sunset we were op- 
posite Cape Gallo, at the entrance of the bay of Palermo. 
After it became dark, we were so near the shore that 
we could distinctly hear the surf breaking upon the 
rocks. By day light this would have been a most wel^ 
come sound, but in the unusual darkness of this evening, 
seemed ominous of danger. The wind continued to favor 
us, and at length the beacon light at the entrance of the 
harbor was discovered. By this joyful guidance we 
reached the anciiorage ground at 12 o'clock. After be- 
ing hailed by an officer of the port, and declaring our 
name, country and destination, we were allowed to cast 
anchor. 



20 

18th.— As soon as it was light we were upon deck, 
impatient to see every object around us, and to ascertain 
when we should be permitted to go on shore. Among 
the first objects which claimed our attention were the bold 
mountains which encircle the bay and the plain in which 
Palermo is situated. The steep and barren summits are 
slightly covered with snow. Palermo is so near that we 
can view its streets and edifices almost as well as if we 
were walking upon its pavements. There is an uniformi- 
ty in the colour of the walls, and an air of antiquity and 
permanency in every thing, which reminds us that we 
are viewing the monuments of the old world. 

A great number of small boats have surrounded us, 
offering oranges, grapes, figs, strawberries, pomegranates, 
and other delicious fruits, as well as fresh provisions. 
We receive all these things through the hands of an old 
Sicilian, who has come on board to share with us whatever 
quarantine the health officer may dictate. We have been 
visited by the medical board, and we are sorry to find, shall 
be kept in quarantine several days. A report has reached 
this place, that the yellow fever prevails in the West- 
Indies. The gentlemen of the health-office will make no 
distinction between the West-Indies and New-England, 

12 o'clock. — The mole near which we have anchored 
has been, during the morning, covered with people. The 
majority are beggars. Some have been tendering us their 
services in various ways — others offering to supply us 
with fruits, servants, and provisions. By their great 
anxiety to serve us, they discover a degree of poverty 
which is calculated to astonish an American. Several 
young men who beg for employment as agents, interpre- 
ters, &c, are extremely well formed and neatly dressed* 



21 

In conversation they use many gestures, and hare an air 
of sin^lar sprightliness. Even the beg-gars possess this 
peculiar gracefulness of action. Among the idle persons 
and beggars we observe many old men, miserably ragged 
and filthy. The watermen, who keep a constant halloo- 
ing around us, have the voices of eunuchs ; an octave at 
least higher than the voices of Americans, 

We are not able to-day to ascertain what will be the 
duration of our quarantine. Every thing invites us on 
shore, but our delay is of unavoidable necessity. I hope 
soon to be able to write you from Palermo, and shall con- 
tinue during my residence there, and my future journeys, 
to give you a circumstantial account of my daily progress. 

Yours, &c. 



LETTER II. 

Quarantine — Release from quarantine — Page'^s Hotel 
— Its apartments, Sfc. — The Marina — Public gar^ 
den — Lazzaroni — The principal street. 

Dec. 1. — Since I last wrote, we have ascertained that 
the quarantine regulations, in their full extent, are to be 
applied to us. it seems to be the policy of the health- 
office, if it err at all, to err on the side of safety. In 
our case, coming not only from a healthy, but north- 
ern port, the caution of imposing a quarantine of three 
weeks seems vexatious and absurd. The Sicilians 
apologize for the severity of their quarantine laws, by as- 
serting that the Turks and the Barbary powers pay ^o 
little attention to such regulations, that they are constant- 



22 

]y exposed to infection from them ; and it is in most in- 
stances impossible for the health officer to ascertain by 
whom strange ships may have been visited at sea, or 
■what communication they may have had with sickly 
crews. In a cify which has suffered by the plague so 
severely as Palermo, no one can reasonably complain of 
such precautions. American ships have been, in some 
instances, allowed to land their passengers, and discharge 
their cargoes, under circumstances similar to ours. In 
this instance, the persons to whom we are consigned have 
exerted themselves iu vain in our behalf. With the hope 
of finding more comfortable quarters than cur ship af- 
forded, we obtained permission from the health officer to 
visit the Lazaretto. 

For this purpose we started from the ship early this 
morning, attended by a boat from the health-office, which 
guided us to the place, and acted as a guard upon us. 
We found the buildings denominated the Lazaretto suf- 
ficiently large, but entirely deserted, and of a ruinous ap- 
pearance. They are principally used for the deposit of 
goods under quarantine. We concluded we should not 
improve our condition by exchanging our confined ship's 
cabin for this forbidding place. 

The weather continues extremely mild, though the Si- 
cilians call it severe winter. Since our arrival the mer- 
cury has not been below C2, or above 69. Rains have 
been frequent; usually in short showers, followed by an 
interval of sunshine. The high summits of the moun- 
tains are frequently covered with snow for a few hours. 
Vegetation is of the bright and lively green of spring. 
Strawberries and green peas are offered us daily, in the 
greatest abundance. 



23 

Tlie American consul, Mr. Porter, who is a passeng^er 
with us, receives many presents from his friends, and 
from those who intend to ask favors of him in his official 
capacity, of fruits, wines, vegetables, &c. so that our ta- 
ble is abundantly supplied. The wines of the country 
are of excellent flavor, and we understand, usually costs 
about IS cents per bottle. Articles of provision are 
generally cheap and good. I dont know whether it is 
doing justice to the Sicihans to suppose the presents 
we are daily receiving are intended to tax our generosity, 
or to purchase from us any favors in return. Baskets of 
fruil, flowers, ice-creams, &c. have been sent us almost 
every day, with the most civil messages and billets, as 
if all were dictated by the kindest hospitality. 

5. — The term of our quarantine expires on the 8th, but 
we have been officially informed we may expect our lib- 
eration to-morrow. At the commencement of our quar- 
antine the health otiicers did not think proper to let us 
know precisely how many days we were to wait for Prat- 
tique.* 

In the irksomeness of our confinement we have made 
this a subject of complaint, but now we feel decidedly 
obliged to them for remitting two days of our punishment. 
If we meet the health officers on shore we shall be 
very likely to thank them for their civihty 

6. — Page's Hotel f Palermo. The joyful tidings of 
our release reached us this morning. Our English friends 
came with their carriages, and we rode to Page's Hotel, 
where preparations had been previously made for us. I 
am now located in one of the chambers, surrounded by 
every necessary convenience. During the day we have 

* Official notice of the expiration of quarantine. 



24 

had time to explore our habitation, and to take a hasty 
survey of the city. The castle of my landlord Page 
(castle it seems to me) is a pretty good specimen of 
the common houses of the city. We entered it by a 
large gate, which admitted the carriage in which we 
rode, into a paved court. The flag stones which form 
the pavement of the streets are continued into this court. 
A flight of stairs on each side leads up one story, to the 
inhabited apartments. The ground floor is occupied with 
coarse store rooms, the porter's lodge, and stables. The 
walls are thick, strong, and plain, like the walls of a for- 
tress, and we feel confident we shall find them a sufl^i- 
cient defence against all enemies except fleas. Between 
the tiles which form the floors, and in the crevices of the 
walls, these tormentors lay in ambush, and issue forth to 
attack us whenever we sit down. The doors and win- 
dow-sashes are of very coarse workmanship. The walls 
are without chair-railings, or any ornamental work in wood. 
The apartments are destitute of fire-places, and the furni- 
ture consists of half a dozen plain chairs, a table of the 
most beautiful marble, and a large mirror. 

It is so cold that we require a little fire, and we find 
upon enquiry, that there is one room in the house which 
has a fire-place. This we have secured by a formal sti- 
pulation with Mons. Page, who assures us he has been 
at the expense of building this solely for the accom- 
modation of his English guests, and that the Sicilians 
never think of requiring such a convenience. 

7. — V/e passed our first night on shore with great com* 
fort. The chambers are large and airy • we slept upon 
mattresses placed upon high iron bedsteads, where we 
enjoyed the luxury of free air and clean linen. 



25 

After breakfast, which consisted of excellent eoft'ee, 
eggs, warm bread and fresh butter, we made our first 
excursion to view the Marina, the gardens, and whatever 
objects of curiosity might come in our way. 

Our hotel is situated near the northern wall of the city, 
and a short distance from the gate, Porto Felice, 
through which we walked to the Marina. We stopped a 
moment to admire the noble building which forms this 
gate of happiness; so named from its opening to the Ma- 
rina, a place devoted to healthful exercise and amuse- 
ment. It is ornamented with columns, and rich sculp- 
ture, in white and fine marble. The Marina is a promon- 
ade extending along the beach about a mile, having a 
broad and elevated flag walk near the water for foot pas- 
sengers, and behind this a space for carriages. It is so 
situated as to command a view of the bay, and to receive 
the sea breeze. It has no shade trees, but is ornamented 
with two fountains, which supply an abundance of water, 
and are each surrounded by statues of marble. 

To this place the Palermitans repair to meet their 
friends, to display themselves or their equipages, and 
to view a scene of gaity and splendor, which is every 
day renewed. We walked to the garden, which is en- 
tirely ornamental, and contains a collection of the trees 
and plants of this dehghtful climate. We entered at a 
large gate, which, like the Porto Felice, attracted our 
attention as a magnificent building. It is ornamented 
with sculptured marble of various kinds. In its de- 
sign it has a relation to the shaded avenues to which 
it opens, and its architectural proportions give it an ele- 
gant appearance when viewed from any part of the gar- 
den. A straight broad walk led us to the centre of the 

c 



26 

enclosure, where there is a large fonntain springing from 
an artificial rock, and flowing into a marble basin about 
150 feet in circumference. Groupes of beautiful statues 
are placed near this fountain, as well as in various parts 
of the garden, but it would be vain for me to attempt 
to describe in detail its decorations and ornaments. This 
garden being the first of the kind I had ever seen, I 
walked through its avenues and enjoyed its shades with 
immixed delight. The evergreens predominate so much 
among tlie shrubs, that the small number of deciduous 
trees are not at all observed. In the arrangement of the 
shades, and the distribution of the aisles, there is a geo- 
metrical precision which did not strike us agreeably. 
Nothing can be imagined more beautiful than the foun- 
tains and the groupes of statues. The graceful forms, 
and pure whiteness of the sculptured marble intermin- 
gled with the verdure of the orange, the cypress, the box, 
and other beautiful trees, forms a combination of singular 
elegance. We lingered long in this fairy field. When 
we returned to the Marina, the expected company had 
begun to collect. The people were well dressed, and the 
equipages confirmed the glowing descriptions we had 
previously received of them. While we were daz- 
zled with the gaity and splendor of the crowd, we were 
shocked and astonished to observe the groupes of poor 
and miserable wretches, who, in the most pitiful and im- 
portunate manner implored charity as if they were ready 
to perish with want. Knowing us, from our dress and 
manner to be strangers they persevered in their cries 
for charity, and followed close to us until we were com- 
pelled to give them something. Though the weather is 
extremely mild, these half clothed beings, standing about 



27 

and sitting without exercise, feel the want of fire. Many 
«f them carry a small earthen vessel in their hands, con- 
taining ignited coals, by which they warm their fingers. 
When the sun shines, they collect on the south side of 
walls, and employ themselves in lousing one another ; an 
operation which however disgusting, seems to be very 
much needed. I never before saw such pitiful forms of 
wretchedness, filth and misery. 

8. — It was so cold this morning that I found it neces- 
sary to order fire, which was brought in a brazen dish, 
and gave me a specimen of what the Sicilians may, if 
they choose, call fire-side comfort. I shall beg the liber- 
ty, however, of considering it very uncomfortable. 

We find ourselves under the necessity of hiring our own 
servants. Mr. A. gives his valet about 25 cen(s per day 
without feeding him. With this pittance the servant can 
live. He is dressed like a gentleman, and is very assi- 
tluous in his attentions. 

Mr. A. has engaged a coach with two small horses to 
be always at his disposal, for about two dollars a da^-. 
When making enquiries on this subject this morning, we 
had occasion to call one of the numerous hack men who 
we observed in the square before Page's. Instantly a 
whole fleck of them answered us, and came running in 
such numbers, and offered their services with so much 
vociferation and earnestness, that we thought it prudent 
to retreat to the hotel, and leave our Sicilian valet to close 
the bargain. At the beach, where I wished a boat to 
take me to the ship, I was surrounded in a similar man- 
ner, and found considerable difficulty in making my way 
through the crowd of boatmen who met me before I came 
to the dock, and seemed instinctively to anticipate my 



2h 

wishes. If they had been starving, or perishing wilB 
thirst, they could not have discovered more eagerness. 
By chance, the man whose boat I stepped into could 
speak English. I enquired of hitn about his means of 
subsistence, when he told me that his sole dependance 
was the little bark in which we were rowing ; that he 
sometimes got a tari, about eight cents, which would pur- 
chase skates enough to subsist his family for two days. 

In the morning we had been surprized at the squalid 
and miserable appearance of the people in the streets, bat 
observed later in the day, a better class, which gave us a 
more favorable idea of the population of the city. At 4 
o'clock we were at the Porto Felice, looking at the prin- 
cipal street Via Toledo, which presented a scene of mag- 
nificence and splendor which equalled my expectations of 
a great European city. From this point we could view the 
whole street, extending in a straight line, one mile, to the 
opposite gate. The houses are five stories in height, close- 
ly built, and nearly of uniform architecture, having light 
iron balconies before the windows of each of the upper 
stories. The street is narrow, and paved with flag stones. 
The great height of the buildings makes them appear 
near together, and conduces to coolness during the sum- 
mer, by sheltering the pavement from the direct rays of 
the sun. The front of each building seems to be alive 
with its well dressed inhabitants, and the street is throng- 
ed to the opposite gate. As far as I can see, the same 
gay scene continues, exhibiting an extent of edifices 
and of human beings, which excites our admiration and 
astonishment. 

These buildings, looking now so rich, and producing 
such an admirable chef iVoeili when examined in detail 



29 

are found to be constructed of the same coarse mateiialsy 
and characterized by the same careless finish as the habi- 
tation of my landlord Page. I imagine I can discover in 
this style of building a dignity and chastened grandeur, 
which gives pleasure without dazzling the eye or weary- 
ing the imagination. 



LETTER III. 

Vice Roy and family attending mass — The Ottongolo— 
Fountains — Statues mutilated—Churches — Mendici^ 
ty — Fleas — Inconveniences at the Hotel, 

Dec. 9. — We have witnessed a specimen of court pa- 
geantry this morning. The Vice Roy, with his Princess 
and family attended high mass at the church of St. Jo- 
seph. A place had been secured for us in one of the 
palaces of the Corso, where we had a view of the pro- 
cession f)-om the balcony. The royal carriages, covered 
throughout with burnished gold, with harness af corre- 
sponding richness, were each drawn by six horses. The 
postilions and footmen were dressed in scarlet and gold. 
Four or five gilt carriages followed, each drawn by four 
horses. Next attended the most splendid equipages of 
the city ninety or an hundred in number, escorted by a 
band of 150 horse. They moved slowly through the 
principal streets and entered the church at 11 o'clock. 

The building was decorated for the occasion ; its entire 
area, tastefully ornamented with flowers and paintings, 
c2 



30 

and hung with golden tapestry. The churches are light- 
ed in such a manner that candles are always necessary, 
but on this occasion the ordinary feeble light was en- 
tirely excluded, that the luster of gildings, and of the 
gold and silver furniture might be displayed to better 
•i\dvantage. 

The Royal familj^ swept along to a temporary throne, 
^hen mass was performed by a number of priests as 
splendidly dressed as their visitors. All was good order 
and elegance. Yet the crowd of people who stood around 
this assemblage of court splendor, the spectators of the gay 
scene, were a more squalid and miserable looking com- 
pany than I ever witnessed in my own country, collected 
on any occasion. The Vice Roy is fleshy, and not pre- 
possessing in his appearance. The Princess is short and 
also fleshy, which I learn is considered a requisite of 
beauty in Sicily. She has light hair and a mild and 
agreeable countenance. I could discover in her features 
a slight resemblance to the faces of the Bourbons, as im- 
pressed upon the Spanish coins. She is the daughter of 
the late king of Spain. The Prince is the son of Ferdi- 
nand, king of Naples. 

The Princess smiled very graciously upon the guards 
and the people as they retired from the church. Two 
favored geutlemen were allowed to kiss her hand. They 
fell upon their knees, gracefully and gladly, like true 
Icnights errant, and seemed fully aware of the magnitude 
of the favor. While the crowd was jostling to get a 
nearer view of the Royal personages, one of the Lazzaroni 
attempted to steal a handkerchief from my pocket, which 
the servant of our friend, Mr. C. perceiving, gave the fel- 
low a blow over the head with his fist, which almost 



31 

brought him to the floor. The handkerchief was restor- 
ed, but the circumstance did not seem to occasion any 
surprize or attention. 

AVheu mass was over the well dressed people repaired 
to the Marina. Our anglo Sicilian friends informed us, 
that Sunday is considered a holiday, after the religious 
exercises of the morning are past. The weather continued 
fair through the day, and every part of the city corrob- 
orated the information that the Sabbath was a holiday — a 
day of rejoicing, 

10. — In the centre of the city, where the two great 
streets, the Corso and Toledo intersect each other, is a 
space called the Ottongolo, which receives the shape of 
an octagon from the construction of the buildings of each 
corner. These are of uniform architecture. From the 
foundation of each a stream of fresh water gushes into a 
large basin for the accommodation of the city. The foun- 
tains in every part of Palermo are profusely ornamented, 
and all abundantly supplied with excellent water. 

During the heat of summer the luxury and convenience 
of such works must be invaluable. A little distance from 
the Ottongola we went to view the largest fountain of the 
city. This had before attracted our attention when pass- 
ing near the Ottongola. As it astonished and delighted 
us much, I shall attempt to give a very slight picture of 
a work which the Palermitans justly rank among their 
proudest ornaments. The water rises into an urn about 
30 feet in height, which overflowing on all sides, falls 
into a marble basin, 120 or 200 feet in circumference; 
this rests on the backs of various sea animals of colossal 
dimensions, sculptured in white marble. Overflowing 
again, and forming beautiful cascades, it is received into 



32 

a basin still larger, a ftvv feet above the level of the pave- 
ment. The whole is surrounded by a line of statues> 
and encircled bj an enipalement of bronze. After fil- 
ling the lowest basin, the water disappears under the 
pavement, and is carried by aqueducts to supply other 
fountains. Nearly all the statues that ornament this beau- 
tiful building have been violently defaced or mutilated. 
Many of the noses, ears, fingers, kc. have been broken 
oflT. On enquiring, the cause, I was told that the mis- 
chief had been done by an incendiary from Messena. 
Som« statues in that city were defaced by an unknown 
hand, but as the people believed by a Palermitan, who 
envied them their ornaments. As an act of retaliation, 
some person from Messena has avenged himself upon the 
the statues of Palermo. 

11. — Brydone in his account of Sicily, says that this 
city contains more than 300 churches. I have spent the 
day in visiting the most remarkable of them, and have 
been astonished at their riches and magnificence. In two 
or three, the ornamental work about the altars must have 
cost more than any single building I ever before examin- 
ed. The inside of the church which forms a part of 
the Ottongola, is entirely covered with sculptured mar- 
ble and precious stones. Upon the walls, the beautiful 
variegated marble is wrought into ornaments, in which 
the different colours are made to produce the effect of 
painting. 

This kind of work must have been immensely expen- 
sive; but whether it be in good or bad taste, I must not 
at present venture to judge. In this and in all the 
churches, the most expensive and elaborate works is.? 



33 

marble, as well as the greatest profasion of g-old and sif- 
ver furniture, are to be seen around the altars. 

In general I observed that there was less labor and ex- 
pense bestowed upon the external ornaments of churches, 
than would be expected from the g-reat wealth of the in- 
terior. The old cathedral is almost the only church, with 
an open space around it. They are usually incorporated 
with the blocks of buildings with which they are united. 
The doors were all open during the first hours of the day, 
and in every instance I was allowed to enter unchallenged 
except by beggars. I could usually determine by tlie 
number of Lazzaroni at the door, whether the church 
within was magnificent or otherwise. 

12. — The mendicity of this city is a painful subject of 
every day and every hour's observation. It is not pos- 
sible for a stranger to detect at once many of its latent 
causes. Some of them indeed readily occur to the 
most superficial observer. The mildness of the climate 
enables the poor to subsist without shelter or clothing. In 
consequence of an excessive population, many are neces- 
sarily without employment. The lowest class have no 
education, and their system of religion is not calculated 
to expand the mind, or to teach them that freedom of 
thought which induces men of all ranks in our country to 
explore their own resources, or enables them to rise above 
conditions of dependence. 

Be the causes what they may, we can never go from 
our apartments without being assailed by beggars, and 
ihey are so importunate, that it is impossible to avoid 
giving. We find it necessary to furnish ourselves for 
this purpose, with the lowest denomination of copper 
coin. They are satisfied with the smallest trifle, yet 



34 

knowing" us to be foreigners, will not leave ns nntil we 
give them something-. The Sicilian gentlemen treat these 
miserable beings with much apparent kindness, and if 
they refuse their petitions, they do it without expressions 
of impatience or contempt. 

Many of the Lazzaroni are young ; apparently healthy, 
and do not seem to have injured themselves by intem- 
perance. Under rags and filth, a fine form may frequent- 
ly be discovered, which might stand as a model for a 
statuary. 

As a faithful traveller it is incumbent on me to men- 
tion fleas, those blood thirsty foes to the peace of stran- 
gers, which no one can hope to escape. So many of these 
insects are upon us, that we find it entirely in vain to at- 
tempt to destroy or dislodge them. It is necessary to 
submit to their attacks with what patience we can com- 
mand. We do indeed sometimes escape them during the 
night, by wrapping ourselves in clean linen, and ascend- 
ing our high beds in such a manner as to carry none of 
our enemies along with us. If the bed stands at a con- 
siderable distance from the wall, and has not previously 
been occupied, we usually escape without being much 
disturbed. 

Being confined to-day by incessant rain, I feel a little 
inclined to dwell upon the evils of our within door estab- 
lishment. I have no carpet under my feet, and the floor 
of my chamber is laid with tiles. The windows are deep 
and small, much like the grates of a prison. My fire 
burns or rather dies in a brazen basin; and when 
brought in glows for a moment, destroys the elasticity of 
the air, and leaves me shivering with cold and oppressed 
with head ache. Yet it is so cool that a fire is indisp^"- 



35 

sable. Such are all the evils I can now find " to tor- 
ment me withal," even when I sit down determined to 
complain. 



LETTER IV. 

// Colla — Villa Favorite — The Olive — Scenery — Stone 

quarries Aqueducts La Bagaria Palace of 

Prince Polonia — Queen's palace — Scenery. 

Dec. 13. — The fine country to the south and west of 
Palermo, extending to the foot of the mountains, is called 
II Colla. A ride of eight or ten miles in a circuitous 
direction, carried us over a country of much beauty of 
scenery, and variety of cultivation. We passed many 
palaces and villas, each distinguished by some peculiar 
elegance. The Villa Favorite, is a summer residence of 
the Vice Roy of Sicily, and is built in the style of Chi- 
nese edifices. The palace is painted in various bright 
colours, and the whole of its decorations are so unlike any 
edifice in its neighborhood, that it attracts the attention 
of all by its singularity. My companions disliked the 
style of the buildings, and complained of the whimsical 
effect of 9very thing connected with them. 

The parks and gardens are extensive, and ornament- 
ed with statues, fountains, and the numerous shrubs 
and trees peculiar to the climate. The orange and 
lemon are covered with fruit. The a!mond is now in 
bloom ; a few trees are without leaves or blossoms. A- 
mong tiiese I observed the fig, which in size and shape 
is not unlike the common pear tree. As we approached 
the mountains, we observed the olive planted in extensive 



36 

orchards, like the apple in America. The olive is ever*= 
green, and at this season, adds greatly to the rich and 
verdant appearance of the country. Scattered orchards 
of this valuable tree are to be seen in all directions upon 
the plain, but rough and steep places are best adapted to 
its growth. On the sides of hills and mountains they 
nearly exclude all other trees. On account of its value, 
the olive is protected by law, and no man can destroy it, 
even upon his own grounds, without the permission of 
government. The tree is hardy, of slow growth, and great 
longevity. It is confidently stated that some orchards 
are now flourishing which were planted by the Saracens* 
A small grove was pointed out to us whose history, we 
were well assured, could be traced back a thousand years. 

This tree never acquires great size or height. The top 
is large and branching. Its decay commences at the root, 
and in some instances I observed the trunk cleft in two 
or three parts, each supporting its tuft of green foliage. 

The plain, throughout its whole extent, is highly cul- 
tivated. The roads are narrow, traversing it in various 
directions, and separated from the fields by walls, in many 
places so high as to intercept the view of the surrounding 
country. 

All the habitations, except the palaces, are small 
and filthy. In all places we met beggars, and before 
every door saw men and women covered with filth, and 
lousing one another. The country in every direction is 
enlivened with groves of orange, lemon, and a great 
variety of other fruit trees, which are planted in clumps, 
and have the varied appearance of forests. The moun- 
tains rise abruptly above the plain, with a bold and in- 
discribable beauty. 



37 

Ou oiu* return, we stopped to examine the stone quar- 
ries which furnish the building materials for the city. 
They are situated in the plain, near the " Villa Favorite." 
A great number of laborers were employed in sawing the 
stone, and in cutting it into proper masses for building. 
Before it is removed from the pit, it is soft, but hardens 
on exposure. It consists of an aggregate of sand and 
marine shells. 

The water which supplies the fountains of Palermo is 
carried across this part of the country in aqueducts, which 
are laid under ground. Our attention was directed to a 
number of buildings of a pyramidical shape, which we 
found, on examination, to contain earthen tubes filled 
with water, and connected as reservoirs with the subter- 
ranean aqueducts. The pipes are about twelve inches in 
circumference, and made of burned clay, but are harder 
and of a finer quality than the same kind of ware, manu- 
factured in America. These tubes are so placed in the 
pyramids as to constitute the principal mass of the 
buildings. They are from 30 to 60 feet in height. We 
passed fifteen or twenty of these singular hydraulic ma- 
chines. 

We were much surprized that earthen ware, which is 
so soon crumbled to dust by the severe frosts of New- 
England, should be found sufficiently durable to be used 
in an extensive series of reservoirs above ground. 

14, — La Bagaria is eight miles north-east, but in full 
view of Palermo ; situated on the opposite side of that 
part of the bay which extends before the Marina. The 
road is not so good, nor the country so rich, as we passed 
yesterday in our ride to II Colla. The village of La Ba- 
garia consists of a small cluster of miserable houses and 

D 



38 

three or four splendid palaces, whose possessors reside at 
Palermo during the winter. When we looked at this 
place from the Marina, we thought it a considerahle city. 
It is so situated that every thing seems magnified from 
that point of view. 

The palace of the Prince Polonia, was mentioned to us 
as one of its principle objects of curiosity. We found it 
as whimsical and extravagant as represented by Brydone, 
The six hundred statues which he describes, are now di- 
minished to about one hundred, and placed around a 
fountain, or on the roofs of some small buildings near 
the palace. They are sculptured in coarse, perishable 
stone, and time is rapidly demolishing them. In the col- 
lection still remaining, there is not a single statue which 
represents any living thing ; but all are monsters — the 
strange creation of the builder, whose imagination seems 
to have been solely bent upon producing combinations 
odious to the eye, and outrageous to the established laws 
of nature. 

On entering the palace, every thing surprizes as much 
^s its exterior decorations. The floor of one of the prin- 
cipal apartments is made with all the beautiful varieties 
of Sicilian marble, cut in diamond shape, and finely pol- 
ished. The ceiling over head, and the sides of the room, 
are lined with foiled glass, and with marble so highly 
polished that the apartment presents a reflecting surface, 
which multiplies its own ornaments in a thousand forms. 

Another saloon is finished with more expensive mate- 
rials, and in a more ridiculous style. To the fine marble 
and foiled glass are added, columns, arches and urns, 
formed with various articles of China ware : such as tea- 



39 

s 

pots, cups, saucers and plates, piled one upon another, 
and secured in their places with cement. 

The furniture of this apartment is magnificently rich, 
and the profusion of precious stones employed in its vari- 
ous decorations, of incalculable value. An universal 
want of good taste however is most obvious. Possibly 
the design of the builder is accomplished in attracting the 
attention and producing the astonishment of every spec- 
tator. 

At a palace near this, called the Queen's Palace, we 
experienced a different kind of surprize and delight in 
observing the good taste, and fitness of every thing. The 
buildings are simple in design, and though less costly 
than those we had just left, combine convenience and 
elegance. The view from the garden exceeds any thing 
of the kind \ have ever seen. Language, painting, or 
the imagination, cannot do justice to this delightful pros- 
pect. The fertile gardens and splendid palaces of I a 
Bagaria, are as full of enchantment as the fairest creaticu 
of the fancy of Tasso or Milton. Near these fields of 
Paradise, are bare rocks and bold precipices, ornamented 
with statues, chisselled into walks or covered with vines, 
as wealth and taste may have dictated. A-t a distance, 
the verdant valley is closed by rugged mountains, rising 
point over point till their snow clad summits reach the 
skies. At the utmost verge of the clear horizon we can 
distinguish the white top of Etna. The sea and the Li- 
pari Isles bound the prospect on the left. 

We hastened back to Palermo before it was quite dark, 
our servant and driver frequently reminding us, that there 
was the greatest danger of banditti, in passing the solitaryf 
road after <5uuset. 



4Q 



LETTER V. 

Sabbath — An excursion— Lizards— -Insects — Vineyard)^ 

— Prickly pear — Public Square — The Opera — Ride 

to Mont Reale — -Cathedral Monastery Land- 

scape, 

Palermo, December 15. 

Su7iday.'— The religious exercises at the churches 
are nearly the same on the Sabbath as on other days. 
After morning mass, the people repair to the Marina, 
the gardens, and other places of amusement. The weal- 
thy, and fashionable, appear with their best equipages* 
On no occasion is the Marina so crowded, yet a regard 
to the day produces a decorum of manners which con- 
stantly reminds us of the Sabbath. The Palermilans 
consider it a holiday, and observe it as a day of rejoicing. 
The priests mingle with the gay multitude, and cheer- 
fulness and good ovdev universally prevail. 1 Uis, they 
consider the proper method of observing the Sabbath. 
As a sense of guilt never intrudes upon their amusements, 
they are not liable to indulge in them to great excess. 

At 2 o'clock the Corso was fitted up like a vast saloon 
for the reception of company, and the balconies unusually 
crowded. While religious processions were passing, we 
were sorry to observe the shops open, and merchandize 
hawked about the streets. The fountains had been open- 
ed, as is customary in fair weather, and the water made 
to overflow the pavements ; producing an agreeable fresh ■= 
ness of the air. All v.'as cheerfulness and gaity. Even 
the beggars surrounded us with unusual and triumphant 
importunity, as if they expected that all men would be 
charitable on this happy day. 



II 

We rode yn the morning into tlie rich and beautiful 
country, which extends to the eastward of Mont Reale. 
The views are more confined and limited, by the moun- 
tains, than on any road we have before taken ; yet from 
this circumstance, derive a character of sohtude, and 
quiet, which induced us to prefer this, before all the 
excursions in the neighborhood, except that to La Ba- 
garia. We stopped by the side of a small stream which 
h almost concealed by its high banks, and a thick growth 
of native shrubs. 

Every thing we observed, was calculated to remind us 
that we were in a foreign land. The thicket was filled 
with plants we had never before seen, and with strange va- 
rieties of reptiles and insects. The lizard, an animal un- 
known in the northern part of America, darted from eve- 
ry wall and crevice of the rocks. The beetk, the locust 
and the earthworm, were much larger than I had before 
seen, I made prisoner a grass-hopper, which seemed t<) 
have lately passed, from the larva state, and was indeed 
a giant. The lizards vary in weight from a [aw grains, 
to five or six ounces. They are fond of basking in the 
sun, and can be always seen if approached with cau- 
tion, on the sunuy side of walls, rocks, and every 
thing that can defend them from the wind. They are 
usually of a bright green colour, with white or yellow 
stripes on the back. When disturbed, they dart quick- 
ly out of sight, but soon return to the same place. They 
are very rapid in their motions, running without difficulty 
in all directions on the smooth sides of walls. There 
is something in the shape and appearance of this animal 
extremely disgusting, but we are told it is entire ly harm- 
Jess, and considered here as a favorite. The vineyards 

»2^ 



42 

W8 passed were so closely pruned, we supposed them 
fallow grounds, until I found by walking through them, 
that the short stalk of the vine was preserved, but so 
small we could not see the rows, from the road. The 
fields of wheat look finely. The prickly pear abounds 
in all waste places, and by the sides of the road. The 
olives cover the hills like forests. 

16. — Looking from the window of our hotel, we have a 
view of the largest square in the city. It is an open 
area of about two acres, not ornamented with trees, foun- 
tains, or statues. It is not a place of resort for fashionable 
people, yet we frequently see it filled with the motly mass 
of population, exhibiting in a remarkable degree, the 
grotesque and peculiar manners, which distinguish the 
people of Palermo. 

At this moment a number of groupes are amusing 
themselves with a game which resembles the common 
play of marbles, except that balls are used, of the size of 
the common wicket ball. The market people, carrying 
baskets u'^on their heads, are crying their articles, with 
voices loud, shrill, and an octave higher than I have been 
accustomed to hear the cries of men. Nearly all the well 
dressed persons, belong to the various orders of monks. 
When engaged in conversation both priests and beggars, 
make use of such constant and violent gesticulation, that 
Mrs. A. has thought them quarreling ; yet their manner is 
without exception, graceful. Children acquire it before 
they can articulate ; even the dirty and half clothed off- 
spring of the Lazzaroni, use proper gestures, as they prat- 
tle from the basket on their mother's shoulders. All seem 
to be full of vivacity as if electrified — and busy, though 
^se can discover no indications of serious employment. 



43 

In the evening" we followed the tide which was flowing' 
towards the opera. The favorite performer at present is 
Madam Dardanella. The opera is the darhng amusement 
of the Sicilians, and music the art in which they have 
most excelled as well in ancient, as in modern times. The 
merit of Madam 1>. we understand is a theme of most 
serious moment, and excites as much interest as any topic 
at Palermo. She undoubtedly excels all others of her 
profession here, and though no connoisseurs we have of*- 
ten listened to her voice with great satisfaction. The 
performance of this evening, was probably, of the highest 
order. Notwithstanding the vast superiority of Madam 
Dardanella, no part seemed deficient. The auxiliaries all 
contributed to the general effect, while the chief interest 
and pleasure followed the heroine without violence or dis- 
traction, as she had no competitor. The company re>- 
niained silent, and grave, as if serious business had been 
in hand. When Madam D. made her greatest and most 
successful efforts, there was a low murmur of applause, 
and two or three shouts of ' bravo.* The Palermitaus 
never hiss ; never express, loudly, their applause. 

During the interludes a person carried cold water and 
cakes through the avenues, crying " Aqua gelata,"* 
which was the only refreshment offered. Mr. P. and 
myself took a second box, where we had a good oppor- 
tunity to see both actors and audience. The pit was filled 
with well dressed young men ; the stillest, the most gen- 
tlemanly in appearance, and the most graceful in man- 
ners we had ever seen on a similar occasion. Madam 
Dardanella adds to astonishing compass of voice, a per- 
son of uncommon beauty and elegance. With inimitable 
* Cold water. 



44 

grace she floated like a spirit before the gazing' multi- 
tude, charming all souls to silence. 

17. — ^Mont Reale, which contains five or six thousand 
inhabitants, is seven miles from Palermo. It takes its* 
name from the mountain on which it is situated. The 
road to this village has been built at immense expense, 
and is supported ia many places upon arclied walls, of 
solid masonry. In consequence of the steepness of the 
mountain, the road ascends in zigzags. At the angles 
are placed fountains, ornamented with sculptured mar- 
ble, like those at Palermo. On the declivity of the 
mountain are some fine situations, to which, as to Mont 
Reale, the wealthy Palermitans retire during the heat 
of summer. The elevated situation of this village ren- 
ders it cool and salubrious. The palaces are not so splen- 
did as those at La Bagaria, and from the appearance of 
the buildings generally, we judged it could not be so 
much frequented, as a summer residence. What princi- 
pally attracted our curiosity and observation, was the 
Cathedral, one of the most ancient churches of Sicily, 
The building was injured two years ago by a fire which 
destroyed a part of the roof. Repairs were soon com- 
menced, and the work is still progressing. Nearly the 
whole of the inside of the church was covered with Mo- 
saic, pieces of which, the workmen had thrown down upon 
the pavement, and we were enabled to examine the ma^ 
teriai of which it was made. It proved to be coloured 
glass, not stone as we had supposed. The pieces which 
were wrought into the largest pictures, were about one 
fourth of an inch square, and either coloured or gilt. The 
gilding was defended by a thin film of glass like the glaz^ 
ing upon porcelaiD, The design of these Mosaic paist- 



45 

ings is uniformly bad, and consists of bare outlines, 
which indicates their antiquity. The quantity of this 
work was so great that it nearly covered the walls and 
roof of this vast edifice. The doors of the church are of 
bronze, covered with well executed has relievos ; the floors 
of polished marble ; the altars of rich materials and ex- 
quisite workmanship. The g-alleries rest upon corinlhian 
columns consisting- of single sliafts of g^ranite. Every 
ornament, in a corresponding style of magnificence, is 
rendered venerable and imposing by age. 

A wealthy monastery is attached to tl;e churcli. We 
were permitted to walk through a few of its numerous 
apartments. At the entrance we were showed a histori- 
cal picture on canvass, representing king William the 
good, discovering the hidden treasure of his father. This 
is the first good painting we have seen, and we must not 
doubt its value, since we are assured that 20,000 guineas 
have been lately refused for it. 1 cannot vouch for the 
truth of this statement, nor am 1 sufficiently acquainted 
with paintings to form the least idea of its merit. The 
erection of churches, temples and convents, like those we 
have viewed, must have required incalculable expendi- 
tures. How can so much money have been supplied in a 
country of small incomes, and limited commerce ? By taxes 
upon superstition and credulity; the sale of indulgencies, 
confiscations, tythes, and other revenues of the church. 
The pomp of the cathoHc religion requires that its temples 
should possess grandeur, and its observances have per- 
petuated a taste for magnificence in edifices and orna- 
ments. When we left the church we were surrounded 
with beggars, so that it was not without considerable diffi- 
culty and delay we made our way through them. As 1 



46 

was putting my hands into my pockets for biocos, my 
hat blew off, and I was so crowded by the Lazzaroni that 
I could not stoop to pick it up, but was under the neces- 
sity of waiting until it was handed to me. 

From the brow of the mountain as we returned, we 
had an extensive view of the bay of Palermo, the city, 
and the surrounding country ; but from a situation too 
elevated, as it gave to the landscape before us something 
of the flat and spiritless appearance of a map. The view 
is more extensive, but not so pleasing as that from la 
Bagaria, as there, you are nearly on the same level with 
the scenery, a part being above and a part below. The 
nearness of objects gives them life and realiiy. 



LETTER VI. 

Table talk — Churches — Situation of Palermo — Genera 
al sketch of streets, market Sy ^"c. 

Palermo, December 19, 20. 

We have been confined one day by rain, and accepted 
an invitation to dine, which has marred another. We 
met an English party at Mr. I's. Mr. !. is a bachelor, 
and lives in a hired dwelhng, yet an amount of expen- 
diture which would not be considered great in any of our 
cities, enables him to occupy a palace. Our enquiries on 
this feubjfcct satisfied us that rents, and all expenses of 
living, are remarkably low. 

A foreign merchant has lately been detected in an ex- 
tensive fraud upon the custom-house. The English gen- 
tlemen here say that this will cost the delinquent fifteen 



thousand ounces for bribes. They speak of bribina; 
judges and commissioners as if it were a thing* of course, 
and greet the accused asc,if nothing had happened. Our 
late consul, Mr. Gibbs, was a man of great influence, and 
had more dependents than any private individual in the 
island. At one time he could command more money than 
the Sicilian government, and was in the habit of loaning 
it large sums. His affairs became unexpectedly embarrass- 
ed, and before any one had supposed him in failing cir- 
cumstances, he put an end to his own life. Such a dis- 
graceful catastrophe was not sufficient to obliterate the 
favorable impression which his numerous and extensive 
business transactions had produced. The Sicilians, the 
Americans, and the English, still speak in the highest 
terms of his talents and character. The English do not 
speak favorably of the Palermitan merchants, or the gov- 
ernment. 1 he foreigner above alluded to who has com- 
mitted the fraud upon the custom-house, is said to com- 
bine the steadiness of an Englishman with the knavery 
of a Sicilian. 

21. — We spent the morning in visiting churches, and 
palaces, in company with an English gentleman, who has 
resided several years in this city. We commenced with 
the Cathedral, and spent as much time in this and other 
remarkable edifices, as our plan for the day would permit. 
I fear that 1 shall entirely fail, in an attempt to commu- 
nicate any of the interest which is naturally felt in view- 
ing these splendid temples. The cathedral, or mother 
church, is the most remarkable of these buildings, but 
its external appearance is so unlike any edifice known to 
you and myself, that I can recollect no comparison in 
America. The style of the architecture is irregular, be- 



48 

mg a mixture of the Grecian orders, and Saracen. The 
entire exterior is of hewn stone. The ornaments are 
minute, and the general outline so compUcated, that it ap- 
pears like a pile of small edifices. 

On entering it we found the interior divided into three 
aisles, or more properly two aisles and a nave. The 
aisles are separated from the nave by columns which sup- 
port the galleries. There are no pews or seats. The 
floor is of polished marble. 

A second open space like the nave crosses the first, be- 
fore it reaches the end of the church opposite to the door, 
and gives the area of the edifice the form of a latin cross ; 
this is called the transept. At the extremity of the nave 
is the principal altar, elevated a few steps above the pave- 
ment, and ornamented with precious stones, columns of 
marble, and the richest furniture of the church. At each 
extremity of the transept are altars, less elevated and deco- 
rated with comparatively less magnificence, which are used 
on ordinary occasions. The high altar is reserved for oc- 
casions of ceremony. In some instances there are other 
altars by the side of the aisles ; if in deep recesses, they 
are called chapels. Funeral monuments are placed in 
every part of the churches, except near the altars, where 
Ro sculpture is admitted, unless it be purely ornamental. 

The monuments of kings, princes, and patron saints, 
are placed in the cathedral, at the foot of the nave. The 
baptismal fount is also in this part of the church. 

In every church we saw confessional chairs. They are 
made of wood, with high backs and sides, having ear 
holes where the confessor listens, while the penitent whis- 
pers his confession. 



49 

The doors of the dmrch are open every day until even- 
ing, and people go in at all times to worship. After 
having touched the holy water and crossed themselves, 
they kneel in silence before the altars. Tliere are no 
seats. I have not heard a sermon on any occasion, or 
any rehgious exercise except the mass. The churches 
are always neat, and perfumed with incense. No one 
enters without demonstrations of awe and respect, or pre- 
sumes to interrupt the profound silence of the sanctuary. 
Even the Lazzaroni uncover and cross themselves at the 
threshold of the door. 

There is a similarity in the design of all the churches. 
The less magnificent are copies of the greater churches, 
and very few are without some rich furniture or sculp- 
tured marble. The devout worshipper may forget, in the 
presence of elegance and magnificence, that he is himself 
poor, filth}'^, and miserable. Judging from the appear- 
ance of people in the churches, I should think them ex- 
tremely devout. 

22. — Palermo is one mile square, situated on a plain, 
and the streets intersect one another at right angles. The 
walls are thirty-five or forty feet in height, and firmly 
built. The four principal gates opening into the largest 
streets, are situated equidistant upon the four sides of the 
city. There are few buildings outside of the walls ; of 
course the population, consisting of two hundred thousand 
souls, is crowded into a small compass. The streets are 
flagged, narrow, and without side walks. It is unneces- 
sary to say that every corner is full of people to overflow- 
ing. The lanes and narrow passages are seldom neat. 
Mechanics, with a few exceptions, are classed, and each 
trade located in a particular section of the city. In one 

£ 



50 

place blacksmiths occupy every building on each side of 
the way ; ia another workers in wood, exclude every other 
trade. Stone-cutters, sculptors and jewellers are thus 
arranged, to the great convenience of those who pur- 
chase manufactured articles, and the good order and neat- 
ness of the city. 

In the markets a want of cleanliness is universal. Meat 
is usually sold by persons who carry quarters or sides 
upon their shoulders, in many instances hanging to the 
ground and dangling in the mud. 

New bread is piled in heaps upon the flagstones, which 
having been overflowed in the morning, are covered with 
filth. 

Mud, cast away vegetables, fragments of fish, and oth- 
er unclean things, accumulate under foot, making the 
most unseemly combination imaginable. 

We have always observed a variety of fish in the mar- 
kets, an abundance of eggs ; fresh butter, though not in 
plenty, artichokes, cauliflowers, and other vegetables. 
The meats are poor, but abundant ; wild game plenty, 
cheap and excellent. We have lately seen green pease, 
though they are scarce. 

At this season the fruits are, apples, grapes, figs, prick- 
ly pears, pomegranates and strawberries. Oranges are 
not yet ripe, though we have seen them in the market 
v^ithin a few days. Grapes and figs have been long kept 
and are therefore scarce and dear. 

. Hearing by accident of an English brig in the harbor 
bound directly to Catania, I have concluded to avail my- 
self of the opportunity which it aifords of visiting that 
part of Sicily. On my return perhaps I shall again re- 
sume the exhaustless subject of Palermo. 



51 



LETTER VII. 

Departure from Palermo — Faro of Messena — Cala- 

brian and Sicilian coasts — Messeyiafrom the Faro — 

Etna— Sicilian coast and Etna^ views of- — Arrival 

at Catania — First view of Catania — Convent of St, 

Nocoloso. 

Brig Hero, off" Faro of Messena, 

(Scylla and Gharybdis) Dec. 25. 

On the morning of the 24th instant I embarked in the 
Hero, Capt. Keith, for Catania. The weather was favor- 
able, and at 12 o'clock last night we were so near the 
Faro of Messena, that our Palermitan pilot thought it pru- 
dent to lie to until day light. We are now, G o'clock, m 
sight of Scylla. 

5 P. M. The wind was fair and we made for the Faro 
under easy sail. When about three miles distant wo 
could perceive the roughness and agitation of the v^atfr, 
The Rock Scylla is on the Calabrian side. It is a steep 
promontory projecting into the sea. The vortex Charyb- 
dis is on the Sicilian side near Messena, and five or si^v 
miles from Scylla. Opposite Scylla, at the distance of 
three miles is a low point, on the extremity of which is a 
round light tower by the Greeks called Faro. Hence the 
name of the pass. On the same side we observed a clus- 
ter of fishermen's huts, and on the summit of Scylla a for- 
tress covering a small village. The Calabria u shore is 
mountainous and more bold than the opposite coast. 
Messena is situated twelve miles from Scylla, at the south- 
ern extremity of the Faro. We felt a degree of triumph 
as we entered this celebrated pass, on account of our per- 
fect security. It presents no terrors to modern navigators. 



52 

The whirlpools effected us sensibly, but with a little 
exertion at the helm the ship kept sfeadily in its course. 
The ripple of the water at the edge of the vortices, resem- 
bles a strong tide flowing into a smooth river. At a dis- 
tance of three miles we could hear the sarf breaking 
against Scylla. 

The mountains on the CaJabrian side decline towards 
the sea with an easy descent, and are cultivated from the 
water's edge quite to their tops. Behind the first range 
the more distant summits rise higher and bolder, and are 
at this tiuie covered with snow. On the Sicilian side the 
shore is not so high, but is thrown into parrallel lines re^ 
sembling the mud walls of a fort. This, we presume is 
the effect of earthquakes. We were so near Messena 
that w^e could see the citadel and mole. The ground upon 
which the city is built rises like an amphitheatre, which 
enabled us to view its entire plan from the Faro. The 
houses are low, and have been so constructed since the 
great earthquake of 1643. They are less liable to be in- 
jured by earthquakes than more lofty edifices. 

The weather was cloudy until about 4 o'clock. After 
we entered the Faro we had been able to see the base 
of Etna. In vain for several hours our eyes had sought 
its summit, when through the broken clouds and far above 
them, we suddenly discovered its awful head ; clear, ma- 
jestic, and bright with snow, its smoke curling away in 
immense volume, before the wind. 

12 o'clock.— The night is clear and calm ; the mooa 
near the full. We have been frequently on deck to look 
at Etna. It is so far above us and so bright it seems 
to belong to a purer w orld. The mountains in its vicini- 



53 

ty, though high and steep, are diminished into mole hills 
in its awful presence. Etna stands in solitude. 

20. — The wind has changed. I dont know how long 
we may be beating about before we reach Catania, now 
only twelve miles from us. We are near the islands of 
the Cyclops, so renowned in classic fable. They are 
small barren rocks of basaltic lava. In the direction of 
Etna thig fine morning, the Cyclops form the fore ground 
of one of the most delightful pictures in nature. Direct- 
ly behind them is the city of Miscaris, almost concealed 
from our view. A vast number of cottages, groves and 
gardens appear beyond, gradually diminishing in dis- 
tance, until the houses seem small dots under the woody 
region of the mountain. Etna, with his clear head, towers 
above all, and 

" Looks from his throne of clouds o'er half the vrorld.*' 

Cata7iiay 9 o'clock: P. J^I. 

We arrived about 5 o'clock. The Catanians came down 
in a crowd upon the mole, tendering their services much 
fike their countrymen at Palermo. Two young men came 
on board who can speak English, offering their services 
as guides, and interpreters. I have engaged one of them, 

Catania, had once a good and spacious harbor, which 
was filled up by the eruption of lava which destroyed the 
city in 1669. The same eruption which filled up the old 
harbor formed the new one, where we are now anchored. 
Formerly there was a sufficient depth of water ; it is now 
so shallow that Capt. Keith assures me he cannot ride out 
a storm here in safety, and must accordingly hasten his 
preparations to depart. 

27. — It has rained incessantly all day ; yet Signorc 
Salvado Lombardo Buda, such is the long name of my 
e2 



54 

Cicerone, was faithful to his engagement, and made his 
appearance at an early hour. Notwithstanding the bad 
weather, we visited the Cathedral, the Museum of the 
Prince de Biscaris, and the Benedictine Convent of St. 
Nicoloso. We examined in various parts of the city, the 
ruins caused by the earthquake of 1693, and the eruption 
of 1609. The streets being deluged with water, the ap- 
pearance of the city was cheerless and dreary. To-mor- 
row, I hope to see the same objects under more favorable 
circumstances. 

28. — The Benedictine Convent of St. Nicoloso was mi- 
raculously preserved from the torrent of lava which over- 
whelmed the city in 1669, by the efficacy of a nail of the 
Saviour's cross, which was carried around the building in 
solemn procession during the eruption. When ^he lava 
approached the walls it was staid in its progress. The 
relic is still preserved. 

The buildings attached to this convent are the most 
magnificent ©f the kind I Iiave yet seen, and Sig. Lora- 
bardo assures me it is the greatest monastery in Italy, and 
that its wealth is incakulable. The church is a vast tem- 
ple which would be a pride, and a glory, to any country 
as a national edifice. Its walls are loaded with fine mar- 
ble, sculpture and paintings. 

A number of priests were performing mass, accompa- 
nied by the organ which Brydone pronounced, long ago, 
superior to that of Haerlera. Its tones exceed any instru- 
ment I have heard, and I am inclined to give full credence 
to his high praise of it. There were twenty or thirty per- 
sons engaged in performing mass, and six hearere ; my 
<^hostly interpreter and myself included. 



55 



LETTER VIII. 

Signore Lombardo Bucla — Elephant of lava — Prince 
de Btscaris — Story of his marriage — His garden — 
A dying Frenchman. 

Dec. 29.^ — My interpreter Buda once lived at Genoa, 
where he contracted, as he says, in consequence of expo- 
sure to cold, a complaint of the lungs. Five or six years 
since he removed to Sicily for the benefit of a milder cli- 
mate, and with the hope of regaining his health. He re- 
sided one year at Messena. From, an apparently hopeless 
consumption he recovered such a degree of health that he 
was able to enlist in Lord Bentick's army while that no- 
bleman had possession of Sicily. For two years he serv- 
ed on board several ships, where he learned the English 
language, and acquired the rank of lieutenant, with the 
privilege of wearing naval buttons on his coat, Avhich he 
displays in triumph to this present time. He speaks En- 
glish tolerably well; and quotes Lord Bentick, the Prince 
"deBiscaris and the chevaher Giovanni, so very often that 
I can hardly keep him long enough upon the subject be- 
fore us to gain such information from him as he seems 
well qualified to give. He intends to publish a transla- 
tion of some English treatise on medicine, and I have 
agreed to write from Palermo after my return, if I find 
a work there which I can recommend to him as worthy 
his attention. It is stipulated also that I shall direct to 
Si ST. Lombardo Bada, &c. American vice-consul Cata- 
nia — not that he is at present American vice-consul, 
but be has made application in the regular way for 
that purpose, and he has no doubt of his being so 



56 

appointed before my letter shall reach him. I found 
this a point of no trifling moment, so I made no objec- 
tion to conceding it. The climate has done for him what 
is usually to be expected in such cases. Without remov- 
ing the cause of his disorder it has suspended his fate, and 
put off the catastrophe which awaits him. His counte- 
nance retains the strong and peculiar marks of a con- 
sumptive habit. His breath is short — chest narrow, nose 
hooked. I allow him to take my arm, and he hangs upon 
me like a skeleton, reminding me at the same time of 
my profession and my mortality. Capt. K. as large as a 
ton, and his small wife, joined us at the mole. We went 
through the principal streets, which are wide and extreme- 
ly well built. The largest street leads from the bay near- 
ly west, and commands a view of the mountain and the 
sea. The city has an airy and cheerful appearance, and 
the glorious summit of Etna seems to shine into every 
avenue. The mountain is always before our eyes — the 
streets are wider, and the situation of the city better than 
that of Palermo. Sig. Lombardo is certain that no city 
in Italy is so magnificent, with the exception of "immor- 
tal Rome." 

The principal square is nearly in the centre of the city, 
and is ornamented with a large fountain, the basin of 
which is placed by the side of a pedestal which supports 
an elephant, sculptured out of a vast block of lava. It is 
of colossal dimensions and an admirable representation ©f 
the animal. The surface is left in its natural porous state 
without polish, so as to resemble the rough skin of the 
elephant. The tusks are of white marble. The flag 
pavement under our feet was laid with square blocks of 
lava. No other stone is employed in buildings or walls.. 



57 

We continued our walk through the city in the direc- 
tion toward Etna, to view the gardens and unfinished 
palaces of the Prince de Biscaris. The present Prince 
is the son of the Prince de Biscaris mentioned with so 
much respect by Spallanzani. The father established the 
first museum in the city. His immense incomes were 
employed with great liberality upon objects of public im- 
provement, and procured for him universal respect and 
esteem. His extensive charities endeared him to the 
lower classes ; his politeness, learning and urbanity, 
procured him the love and veneration of the nobility. Af- 
ter his death, the alliance of his son, the present incum- 
bent, was sought by the Prince * * *, who wished him to 
marry his daughter. Being defeated in his attempts to 
effect this by fair negociation, he directed his daughter to 
send for the young Prince and request a private interview. 
The invitation was accepted without suspicion. While he 
remained with the j-oung lady in her own apartments, her 
father entered, and pretended the greatest surprize and 
indignation at finding him with his daughter without his 
knowledge and consent. After remonstrating with him 
in terms of the severest reproach, he declared that he 
raust now save Iiis family from disgrace by taking his 
daughter in marriage. Such were the chivahic notions 
of the Catanian nobleman, that he believed himself ia 
honor bound to comply with this unreasonable demand. 
The nuptials were celebrated, but he refused to receive 
his wife to his bed, and she has resided in separate apart- 
ments of the palace, except when she has been under the 
necessity of seeking an asylum from his severity, at her 
father's house. 



5B 

The prince is morose and unsocial ; has few servants, 
and associates little, if at all, with the nobility of Catania, 
His family consists of a younger brother, and the son of 
a merchant of Malta. His immense incomes are at pre- 
sent consumed in the idle waste of his stables, theatres, 
and various establishments, which are not of public utili- 
ty. The numerous poor, no longer share the bounty of 
the favorite title. Yet the people impute the strange 
and unsocial character of the Prince to his unfortunate 
marriage, and their dislike is tempered with that feeling 
of sympathyj which misfortune usually begets. 

Sig. Lombardo is answerable for the truth of this sto- 
ry, which now brought us to the entrance of the garden, 
which is the most extensive in the vicinity of Catania. It 
is half as large as the public garden of Palermo, and be- 
ing built upon the lava of 1669, has an unevenness and 
variety of surface, which it is impossible for art to sup- 
ply. There are many fountains, but none so large or so 
expensively ornamented as those at Palermo. The plants 
and ornamental trees are scattered indiscriminatelj^, a- 
nother cause of agreeable variety. Signore, our learned 
Cicerone, still continued his character of the Prince. " He 
neglects this garden and you see it overgrown with weeds. 
The extensive foundation of this edifice which was com- 
menced by his fatlier, is but a pile of ruins. The spir- 
it that would have fuliilled, and realised, its magnificent 
design, is asleep in the dust." 

As we returned through the city we visited a large 
and airy hospital, which we found neat and well arrang- 
ed. The wards are large and without partitions. In one 
of them an old Frenchman was breathing his last, with-- 
out attracting notice, or pity. An attendant went to his 



59 

couch, and shook him, to ascertain whether he was yet 
dead. The dying man gazed upon us with that strange 
expression of vacancy, and tixedness, which characterizes 
the last agony of life. I could accuse his attendants of 
no other inhumanity, than that of not watching his last 
moments. From the evident good arrangement and abun- 
dance of every thiug, I yielded my full assent to Buda's 
lavish praises of the establishment. Great attention to 
the sick, is practised as a religious observance. 



LETTER IX. 

Church of St. Nicoloso — Mass and 7misic — Lava of 
1669, covered the City — Monte Rosso — Attempt at 

theft and its punishment Afflictions of Buda 

Theatre of Prince de Biscaris — St, Nicoloso — The 

Organ Relinquish visiting Etna Museums 

Roads and travelling in the interior. 

Catania, December 30. 

I went early with my lieutenant Buda to attend mass 
at the church of St. Nicoloso, and to listen to the music 
of that celebrated organ. After mass, I communicated 
through Buda a request that the musician might play 
some common church music, with which he civilly com- 
plied. 

In the worship of this house there is something peculi- 
arly grand and imposing. The traveller kneels with the 
catholic in this magnificent temple, and forgets that he is 
a stranger, when worshiping before the God of all nations. 
The morning devotions soon ended, the few persons who 



60 

had entered St. Nicoloso with us, joined the parties in the 
streets and the gardens, and as before noticed, the Sab- 
bath was spent in various amusements. 

The particular object of our observation, after leaving 
the church, was the great field of lava formed by the erup- 
tion of 1669. From the balconies of the convent we had 
before surveyed the track and extent of this immense 
eruption. This monastery stands just within the ancient 
walls of Catania, and not far from the point where the la- 
va approached the city. Both to the right and left of 
this point, the lava buried the wall, overwhelming with it 
all the buildings in its range down to the water, and even 
filled up the harbor. From Monte Rosso, which was 
formed by this eruption, the lava extended a distance of 
fifteen EngHsh miles to the walls of Catania. All the 
southern quarter of the city was buried, except the con- 
vent of St. Nicoloso, and a few buildings behind it, which 
escaped in consequence of the lava's dividing into two 
streams, as it passed across the inclined plain of the city, 
towards the sea. The lava approached the wall opposite 
this convent, and after having risen above the height of 
sixty feet, and even projecting its fused mass, so as almost 
to touch the building, was unaccountably stayed in its 
progress. That it was here stayed, the Benedictines be- 
lieve was owing to the efficacy of their most valued relic, 
one of the nails of the Saviour's cross, which was carried 
around the church in solemn procession during the erup- 
tion. The half of the city, which was not overwhelmed, 
was preserved by the veil of St. Agatha, which was dis- 
played in the direction from whence the eruption threat- 
ened. St. Agatha is the patron saint of the city to this 
day. 



61 

SMonte Rosso, which is more than 800 (eet in height, 
was formed entirely by this eruption. It is at the foot of 
Etna. The great field of lava, on which modern Catania 
is built, extends of course to this mountain, and as we 
look towards it, presents a rough, uneven surface, much 
resembling the dark waves of the sea in cloudy weather. 
It produces considerable vegetation, but not enough to 
conceal the blackness of the lava. 

At 2 o'clock we returned on board our brig. A Ca- 
tanian, had attempted to steal some brush-wood, which 
had been laid upon the key to be used in stowing the car- 
go, which I find is to be Barylla. 

Capt. Keith informed me, that his sailors had received 
a small allowance of money last evening, and one of them, 
after a carouse in the city, had returned in a state of in- 
toxication. As he staggered towards the ship he was fol- 
lowed by a Catanian, who attempted to pick his pockets. 
Another sailor, who happened to be sober, discovered his 
intention in season to prevent his companion from being 
robbed. Like a true jack-tar, he pushed the poor rogue 
into the sea. He escaped from his cold bath with some 
difficulty, and with the loss of his loose coat, which was 
brought on board as a trophy. 

Signor. Lombardo, seemed dull and full of anxiety all 
the morning. At length he opened his budget of sor- 
rows. His eldest child was sick, and his wife had been 
brought to bed of a monster. 

In the evening, we attended the theatre of the Prince 
de Biscaris. The entertainment was not of the most se- 
lect kind. The Prince was present ; and his face a pretty 
good comment on the character we had heard of him. 
Buda attended us late, and repeated his queries about hiis 

F 



62 

lusus naturae, for it was so monstrous, he feared his wife 
would be subjected to injurious suspicions. 1 assured 
him there was no danger from such persons as knew her 
husband, and I presumed the public would make great 
allowances for the caprice of nature. 

31. — I commenced the day at the church of St. Nicol- 
oso ; attracted there by the hope of listening- to the tones 
of that matchless organ. The doors were already opened, 
though it was scarcely day light, and the music filled the 
holy place with a force and melody, indiscribable. i can 
imagine no comparison but the harmony of angels btfore 
the throne of the Almighty. 

The business of the morning was to make a final de- 
termination on the subject of visiting Etna; and we are 
sorry to learn that the season is so advanced, and the snow 
so deep as to render it impossible. I have accordingly re- 
linquished the intention, and have only to make the most of 
my time in examining objects near at hand. I have visited, 
a second time, the museums of the Prince de Biscaris and 
the Chevalier Giovanni. In the first is a collection of an- 
cient armor, Roman, Sicilian, Carthagenian and Grecian. 
It is arranged in a spacious saloon, with such weapons of 
war as are supposed to have been of the same periods. 
These remains refer the spectator to ages when Sicily was 
the theatre of bloody wars, either waged by her own gov- 
ernments, or a scene for the contests of more powerful na- 
tions. For many centuries, this island has not been vi- 
sited by war. It may perhaps be owing principally to 
this cause, that civilization is almost confined to the popu- 
lous cities. 

The roads in the interior are in the most neglected 
condition. I have thought of returning to Palermo by 



63 

land ; but I find on enquiry, that, should I undertake thife 
journey, it would be necessary to employ a guard, and to 
carry provisions ; probably to encamp in the open air, 
during- the night ; and that the Sicilians, seldom under^ 
take such a long and hazardous pilgrimage. 

When Sicily was warlike, it was also civilized. The 
spoils of its cities were among the early trophies of Ro- 
man valor, and when removed to Italy, contributed great- 
ly to form a taste for the fine arts, in which the Ro- 
mans so much excelled. Syracuse was celebrated for its 
learning, philosophy, and power, long before the period 
of Roman greatness. Rut these are themes for those who 
have leisure and learning ; ours must be a passing sketch. 

In another saloon of the palace of the Prince de Ei.sca- 
ris, is a collection of capitals, statues, and various sculp- 
tured marbles, which have been recovered from the ruin^ 
of ancient Catania. Many of them are beautifully exe- 
cuted; but are principally valued as authentic and an- 
cient specimens of Grecian and Carthagenian sculpture. 
There is also a large collection of ancient utensils, vase* 
and medals. Among the works in terra colta, or burned 
clay? are some vases of uncommon elegance. 

Having an hour unengaged, I examined some tracts of 
lava near the bay, particularly the promontory which 
foruis the south side of the little harbor. It is black, 
rough, and full of fissures, and the surface porous like 
pomise stone. The progress of this imuiense eruption 
was not rapid : but so slow that it w'as compared to the 
creeping of insects. Where nothing interrupted its course, 
the side of the hardened lava is twenty or thirty fttt in 
heiglit, and perpendicular, like a wail. 



64 

III many places where there is no soil perceptible, some 
vegetables are sustained, but not enough to conceal its 
general black and barren appearance. I crossed the har-« 
bor in a boat, and intended to have walked upon the 
lava, but found the fissures so deep and the surface so 
rough, that I could not pass over to the opposite side, 
though the distance was less than half a mile. I frequent- 
ly got into chasms so deep that I lost sight of the city, 
the eea, and the mountain. Not far from the mole, where 
our ship is anchored, the lava is blasted for the purpose 
of obtaining blocks for building. It is easily wrought, 
find make durable walls. At the bottom of the excava-- 
lion it is compact and without fissures ; though near the 
surface, where it was not, when cooling, under a high de- 
gree of pressure, it is too porous to be fit for the purposes 
ef building. 



LETTER X. 

New-year's view — Buda's ills — The captain's report--^ 
Descent into ancient Catania — View from the bay — 
jRemarks. 

Jan. 1. — " We take no note of time." This date how- 
ever, reminds me of the commencement of another year, 
and that it is the season we have been accustomed to call 
winter. How unlike my own country and my past re- 
collections, is every thing around me ! The weather is 
as mild as the month of May in New-England. The 
almond, and a variety of fruit trees are in blossom, and all 
nature is clothed iu the dress of spring. As, I look from 



6j 

our cabiu, the whole country between Catania and the 
mountain is covered with verdure. Etna stands above 
us in his winter dress ; but it is another world. 

Our faithful heutenant came to us late, and with a 
piteous face. His monster had been interred this morn- 
ino^, and his wife remained disconsolate. 1 cheered him 
in the best way 1 could, and promised him my advice in 
detail, as we pursued our perambulation of the city. We 
spent two hours ag-ain, in the immense cabinet of the 
Chevalier Giovanni, examining the productions of the 
vulcanos of the Mediterranean, as well as the pearls, am- 
bers, and precious stones. There is a library connected 
with the museum in which we observed many English 
books. We also visited a large silk manufactory. Silk 
fabrics are among the chief articles of the exportation of 
Catania. There were about 200 persons of the most 
squalid and miserable appearance employed in this manu- 
factory ; but so far as we could discover, nothing remarka- 
ble in its machinery or arrangement. When walking 
through the streets, we perceived we were followed by 
boys and beggars as objects of curiosity. This is not 
much to be wondered at ; for my large friend the Captain, 
his little wife, a lass of about twenty years, and my ghost 
Buda, formed the party. 

The Captain has been lading his brig with Barylla, and 
he assures me that notwithstanding a guard of two persons 
has attended each load from the store-house to the mole, 
there has been pilfering of that coarse article. How 
poor must the wretches be to steal such trash ! Capt. 
Keith has bought provision at a low price and of superior 
quality. The wines are better flavored than in the 
neighborhood of Palermo. Beeves are almost unknown 

f2 



66 

at Parlermo. We see here, a small breed with remarkably 
large horns. Fresh beef is seldom or never sold in the 
markets of this city, or Palermo. If they ever have veal 
at Palermo it is brought from Naples. The butter pur- 
chased for our table w^hile there, was from the dairy of the 
Prsetor, the Prince d'Aci, and is not an article in common 
use. The Palermitans drink goat's milk with their coffee, 
and make, with it, cheese of a very inferior quality. 

It is not common for a ship, of the burthen of ours, to 
lie in this small harbor. The Captain also reports, that 
the Catanians have visited him every day to look at his 
great ship ; and that the ladies have not deemed it un- 
worthy of their curiosity. 

Jan. 2.— With my ghostly lieutenant and a Catanian 
Cicerone, I descended to view the excavations which were 
made by the late Prince de Biscaris, among the ruins of 
ancient Catania. Near the portal of the Cathedral, the 
super-incumbent lava has been perforated, and we de- 
scended by a narrow stair way into the centre of the an- 
cient bath. The plaister on the walls, and some delicate 
ornaments in stucco, still remain entire. The sound 
of carriages rattling upon the pavement, over our heads, 
disturbed the stillness of the dark cavern, and reminded 
us of the fearful change that had been wrought by the 
eruptions of Etna ! 

We visited an ancient theatre which was uncovered by 
the same Prince. It was a vast edifice ; as much as we 
could see, (for the arena was filled with water) was built 
with masses of lava. Ancient Catania was distinguished 
for the number, magnitude, and splendor, of its edifices. 
Those who have studied them minutely, have discovered 
a source of peculiar interest in their remote antiquity. 



67 

M. de Non states, that " Catania was already a city when 
** the Tyrians, attracted by the commerce they had begun 
** to carry on with the inhabitants, made a successful at- 
** tempt to establish themselves there, and expelled the 
** natives, long before the foundation of Syracuse. Al- 
" cibiades afterwards surprised it in the expedition of the 
** Athenians into Sicily, while Nicias was laying siege to 
** Syracuse. 

** It was taken in the first Punic war by Valerius 3Ias- 
" sala, in the 489th year of Rome, and became a Roman 
*' colony. In succeeding ages it followed the fate of Si- 
*' cily, and was laid waste by the Saracens." 

The eruption of 1069, destroyed a great part of the 
city, but spared the inhabitants ; the advance of the 
lava along the inclined plain from the foot of Etna, being 
so gradual as to give them time to escape. A more ter- 
rible disaster awaited them twenty-four years after, when 
nineteen thousand people were instantaneously destroyed 
by an earthquake. A few solid edifices resisted the 
shock. The convent of St. Nicoloso, so miraculously pre- 
served from the lava, withstood the earthquake so as to 
be susceptible of repair, and became an object of renew- 
ed veneration. It was many years after the return of the 
inhabitants to Catania, before they ceased to erect low 
buildings, like those of the present day at Messena. The 
modern buildings are lofty, and the people seem to have 
at length forgotten that dreadful calamity. 

Our last excursion was in a boat to view the promon- 
tory of lava, which forms the south si"-i of the bay. We 

. . '11, '' 

passed Us most projecting point, bounded by a smooth 
yellow beach, nearly level, or undulating in gentle swells, 
and covered with verdure. At a little distance from this 



68 

point, the spectator beholds this wonderful scene, with a 
more lively consciousness of the changes which Etna has 
wrought, than from any other point of view. On one 
side and so near, what Sicily was, before her light sands 
were covered by the black and barren lava ; on the other, 
the new creation, dark, waste and ruinous ! Beyond ; 
white and serene, the cone of Etna is traced upon the 
clear blue sky ; the spires and domes of Catania, rise 
before us in their varied forms, surrounded by all that is 
delightful in the environs of this lovely city. *' Glad 1 
would walk thee round'* a Httle longer ! but 1 am warned 
by our captain that we must depart to-morrow. 

I have hardly seen enough to justify me in making a 
remark upon the general character of the Catanians, yet 
I must observe they appear less beggarly than the Pa- 
lermitans. 

In the streets we were always treated with deference as 
strangers. Our ghost Buda assured us every moment 
that all places w€re free to our curiosity, and that the 
Princes and Barons were proud to open their doors to 
foreigners. At all places we have been permitted to enter, 
and have received every proper and kind civility. 

Capt. Keith came here upon business, and my contract 
with him is to obey his convenience. 1 hope some wind, 
adverse to his destination, will blow us to Syracuse or 
Messena, or where it will, so we linger on this fairy coast. 



"n?^ 



69 



LETTER XI. 

Departure from Catania — Voyage through the Faro of 
Messena, a squall there — A loater spout — The Lipari 
Islands — Stromholo — A gale — Arrival at Palermo. 

Brig Hero, at Sea, Jan. 4, 1817. 

We sailed from Catania on the evening of the 2d inst. 
As there was little wind we cast anchor, and remained in 
sight of that city during- the night. Yestt^rday morning 
a breeze from the south enabled us to make n small part 
of our voyage. The weather has been delightfni. Etna 
seems as near as when we left Catania. The high moun- 
tains of Calabria are covered with snow. 

As we pass near each coast, we can distinguish the dark 
green verdure, covering the plains and the gentle slopes 
of the mountains, while the steep places are continually 
barren. The beds of the rivers are wide, and dry enough 
to be used as roads. The naked mountains loek old in 
their barrenness. The wind, now a head, is barely suf- 
ficient to fdl our sails ; we are beating lazily towards the 
Faro of Messena. The Calabrian mountains appear to 
touch the shore of Sicily, and close the pass before us. 

5. — The fine weather continued only until twilight, 
when we entered the Faro. The sky became overcast, 
and as the moon had not yet risen, the evening was ex- 
tremely dark. After we had passed Messena we were 
alarmed by a sudden and violent squall. All hands were 
instantly employed in shortening sail, but the wind came 
from such a point that it was impossible for us to keep 
our course. We were barely able to weather Scylla. The 
wind continued all night strong from the west, and it was 



70 

a question whether we should not return through the 
Faro, to avoid being driven upon the rocky coast of Ca- 
labria. At six the wind abated, and with the favor of 
more propitious gales we are now, 12 o'clock, in sight of 
the Li pari isles. Etna, clear of clouds, is yet over our 
heads. Volcano and Strornbolo are casting forth volumes 
of smoke. The weather is again delightful, though we 
have just observed a water spout near us, which has 
alarmed our Sicihan pilot. He assures us it is a sign of 
a violent gale. The motion of the air which produces 
this beautiful phenomenon, is similar to the whirlwind 
that so frequently raises the dust in roads and sandy 
places. The unbroken expanse of the ocean, gives to such 
currents of air, an extent and force, which they are pre- 
vented from acquiring by the inequalities of the surface 
of the earth. The sea was much agitated by this whirl- 
wind, and the spray, which formed the water spout, was 
so dense as to have the appearance of a continued sheet, 
for many fathoms higher than the mast of our ship. The 
column of water moved rapidly, and varied perceptibly 
in size as the wind increased or diminished. No cloud 
was produced, though the water formed a mist, resem- 
bling smoke, which soon disappeared. 

Our Sicihan pilot, who is cur oracle, since Sig. Lom- 
bardo ; says, that Volcano has not been known to smoke 
as much as at present, for many years, and he likes not 
its omen. This is the island which gave a name in our 
language to the most tremendous phenomenon in nature ; 
yet the fire which has been burning forever, still burns. 
We are within ten miles of Volcano, and it is almost con- 
cealed in its own smoke ! 



71 

All the Lipari isles are of volcanic origin. Lipari, the 
largest, has a city of the same name, containing: ten thou- 
sand inhabitants. We can now view this city very dis« 
tinctly with our small sfsip telescope. We have the au- 
thority of Spallanzani, for believing it more ancient than 
ancient Troy. Vulcan's tremendous forge, was located 
under these islands. The god of the winds dwelt at iKolea, 
now in sight. The shores of all these islands are nearly 
perpendicular, and the centre of each rises into two, three, 
or more conical summits. They appear black and barren, 
though we can discover houses and villages in the valleys. 
A volcanic soil is always fertile. These islands are well 
known to produce all the grains and fruits of the neigh- 
boring countries, in the greatest perfection. The grapes 
are superior to those of Sicily. The climate is fine, be- 
yond example. The Lipari isles are too small to invite 
aggression of any kind, and appear to us the perpetual 
abodes of peace and happiness. Perhaps it is wise to pass 
on and not enquire more minutely into their history. 

4 o'clock. — We are now between Strombolo and a 
small cluster of bare rocks, called the Panara Isles. The 
shores of all the islands are very steep, but these insula- 
ted masses rise to a great height, and present a most sin- 
gular appearance. One looks like a ship at anchor, 
another like a tower, another like an enchanted castle. 
The steep precipice which forms the side of one of these 
islands near us, seems to consist of regular columns, 
which are basalts of immense size and height. 

Strombolo, the only volcano at present in a state of ac- 
tivity, is also the highest of the Lipari islands. It is a 
single cone not exceeding four leagues in circumference, 
but rising to such a height that the clouds which gather 



72 

around it, are considerably below the level of its crater. 
Its smoke curies upward a short time and then falls below 
the summit, forming a dense cloud so low as not to inter- 
cept our view of the volcano. We can destinctly hear 
the explosion which attends each emission of smoke, 
thoug^h we cannot yet perceive the flame or the lava. 

8 o'clock,-— As we approached Strombolo the crater be- 
came visible. It is a little below the summit on the west 
side. Before it was yet dark we could see the flame, and 
hear the explosions at intervals of eight or ten minutes, 
resembling the report of cannon, or voUies of musketry ; 
every report is accompanied with a quantity of fused 
matter which is thrown to an immense height into the 
air; then rolls down the side of the mountain and falls 
hissing into the ocean. 

The lava does not flow from the crater like melted mat- 
ter, but falling after having been thrown into the air in 
seraifused masses, rolls from precipice to precipice down 
the steep side of the mountain and reaches the water be- 
fore it looses its red heat. 

10 o'clock. — During a part of the evening the moun- 
tain has been covered with thick clouds, which when illu- 
minated by an explosion, seems like a curtain of flame, 
thrown over the very gates of the infernal world. Our 
Sicilian pilot believes this to be the habitation of the 
damned. The idea is very natural. I am sure no object 
in nature can be more calculated to excite teri-or. The 
flame which issues from the mountain is of a peculiar 
dark, red colour. Evidently, there is no combustion or 
blaze. The light is caused by the intense degree of heat. 
This volcano differs from all others in one very remarka- 



73 

h\e particular. So far as its history can be traced, it has 
been forever in a state of activity. 

For considerable time the clouds have been thickening; 
around Stroinbolo, and it is now, 12 o'clock, only visible 
when illuminated by an eruption. A wind has sprung 
up from the west which compels us to shorten sail and 
change our course. 

8th, off Ustica. — At the last date we little dreamed 
what perils awaited us. We had barely lime to put the 
ship in readiness before the wind blew a hurricane, and 
fully verified our pilot's predictions. The storm increased 
during the whole night and we lost several small sails. At 
6 o'clock the fore and <ift mainsail gave way. This had 
no sooner been supplied, than our only remaining fore 
and aft mainsail was torn into a thousand pieces. As this 
was the sail upon which we principally depended, its loss 
caused considerable consternation. At this moment the 
thick mist which had enveloped us cleared a little, and 
we discovered that we were within two miles, and to the 
windward, of the Panara Isles. Crippled as we were, it 
appeared to me we were in great danger, more especially 
as the ship had not recovered its regular motion since the 
loss cf the large sail ; but fortunately, the momentary view 
of these small islands enabled us to get under their lee; 
and with the other I^pari islands, afforded us shelter dur- 
ing a great part of the day. The storm however con- 
tinued, but abated in the evening, and the wind changed 
to the north. 

9 o'clock. — We are in sight of Palermo harbor, but 
the rough sea caused by the late storm continues, and the 
wind is not sufficient to fill our sails. Those who have 
often rocked in the calm which succeeds to a violent tern- 

Q 



74 

pest, know how to appreciate the comforts of our morn- 
ing-. 

2 o'clock. — At ten we were becalmed in the mouth of 
the harbor, and in danger of being- driven against the 
rocky point towards La Bagaria. This last danger past, 
a light breeze sprang up, and we rode into the anchorage 
ground, rejoicing — and thus my log book ends. 



LETTER XII. 

3Ir, A. attended bi/ a Palermitan physician — Music and 
devotion of the Pal€rmitans—~The Opera — Madam 
Dardanella — Manners of the opera — Sirocc wind — 
Temperature of Sicily compared with New-England 

and its relation to human life A masquerade — A 

religious procession. 

Palermo, Jan. 13. 
I FOUND my friends at Palermo in good health and 
spirits except Mr. A. who was just recovering from a se- 
vere illness which had been induced by imprudent fa- 
tigue. His kind and judicious physician, Sig. Patronajo, 
a Palermitan, had afforded him every possible assistance. 
The sound sense and quick discrimination of this old gen- 
tleman demanded our entire respect and confidence, and 
gave us a high idea of the science, and acuteness, of his 
countrymen. We have been a little surprized to learn 
that the regular charge of a physician for a visit to per- 
sons of the standing of merchants, is three taris, or twen- 
ty-four cents. I presume this does not show a low state 
of the profession so much as it does the poverty and the 
uncommercial character of the Palermitaus. 



75 

Many of the priests are regularly instructed iu medi- 
cine, and gratuitous care of the sick forms a part of their 
parochial duty. It is a custom among the higher orders 
of gentlemen, to watch with the poorest sick, and to do 
menial oflices for them in the hospitals, as a religious hu- 
miliation. In addition to the personal aid they afford, 
their example makes it a fashion to practice kindness and 
humanity. I am confirmed in the observation made at 
Catania, that the sick are well treated in Sicily. 

The Palermitans have always been celebrated on ac- 
count of their fondness for vocal and instrumental music. 
At all hours of the day we hear voices and instruments, 
which would astonish the most refined circles in America. 
The Lazzaroni form parties under the walls, and sing or 
play before the pictures of the virgin. Their songs are 
usually devotional. The lowest beggar shares the con- 
solations of rehgion, and is capable of enjoying the plea- 
sure of music. With the simple pathos of his song he 
mingles the fervency of worship, and is equally affected 
by the charms of melody and the mysteries of religion. 
His religion is a passion which controls him strongly 
when active, but is inconstant : his love of music, and his 
exquisite discrin»ination in it, is the necessary conse- 
quence of the physical conformation of his body and mind. 
As 1 listened this evening to a Sicilian in the habit of a 
pilgrim, who was singing before an image of the blessed 
virgin, I observed the Palermitans flocking to their usual 
amusement, and I followed the crowd to the all attracting 
opera. Madam Dardanella, the idol of the city, made 
her appearance in one of her favorite characters. I iiap- 
pened to be seated where 1 could observe the faces of the 
great crowd which filled the pit. Their eyes were intent 



76 

upon the play, and as they listened in silence — interest, 
emotion and passion, were depicted in their countenances 
as the plot progressed, with a more obvious and lively ex- 
pression, than I ever befoi*e witnessed, A painter might 
have made it a study of the passions. 

I was seated in one of the avenues, where I was fre- 
quently incommoded by persons who passed by me. I 
have reason to confess however, that I was jostled with 
great civility. The good manners, the elegance, and 
even the beauty of the young men, cannot be denied. I 
can hardly say as much for the Jadies, though their man- 
ners in public are entirely unexceptionable. According 
to the Sicilian standard of beauty, a belle must be short, 
fleshy, and high coloured. Such most of them are, and 
all incline strongly to the brunette. Their dress is 
rather open, the folds of drapery being so disposed as 
not to conceal, but to improve the form, and combine 
modesty with elegance. They wear their hair parted 
on their foreheads, and sparkling with diamonds. They 
have the appearance of perfect health and never failing 
vivacity. 

14. — We have been two days confined by rain. This 
morning the sky is clear, and in consequence of a sirocc 
wind, a delightful temperature. The south or sirocc 
wind is much dreaded in summer but welcomed with joy 
during the winter. It always causes an increase of heat, 
but is never of long continuance. It is supposed to 
derive its heat from the deserts of Africa. The accu- 
racy of this conjecture certainly admits of many doubts. 
It seems to be of too short duration to have wafted a heat- 
ed atmosphere over such an extent of ocean and land. 
Brydone states that the mercury rose in one instance dur- 



77 

ing his summer re^^icIence at Palermo to 11*2 Fahreiiheif. 
This is considered a most extraordinary fact if correct. 
100 ia called a very high temperature in this city, and is 
seldom exceeded. The usual range of the mercury dur- 
ing the summer is from 75 to 85. In the winter from 50 
to C5. The freezing point and 100 may be considered 
the utmost extremes in common seasons, leaving- a range 
of 08^ In New-England we have 100 above and 20 below 
0, or a range of 120. Our climate then, is inclement when 
compared with that of Sicily as 120 to 68. The milder 
climate is undoubtedly most favorable to human life. 
Accordingly the inhabitants of Sicily will be found to be 
more healthy than the people of New- England, with the 
exception of such diseases as depend upon local and ac- 
cidental causes, as contagion, marsh, animal and vegeta- 
ble miasmata, &e. Acute inflammations, scrophula, and 
consumption, the spectre of northern regions, are almost 
unknown in this island. 

19. — ^The Carnival commenced on the r2th, but our 
Anglo-Sicilian friends kindly informed us that it was 
unfashionable, and ungenteel, to attend the masquerade 
during the first week ; we have consequently avoided see- 
ing the strange farce until this evening. At one of the 
largest theatres, the seats were removed from the pit, 
which was occupied by the masques. Visitors and un- 
masked spectators as usual, were seated in the boxes and 
galleries. 

All who entered the pit were in- masques, and each 
seemed ambitious to sustain some assumed character, and 
endeavored to add to the general amusement, by his gro- 
tesque costume. Priests, lawyers, doctors, merchants, 
and mountebanks, were caricatured and ridiculed. Oth- 
g2 



78 

ers were dressed in splendid antique armor. Some 
walked to display a fine person : others, the gracefulness 
of female beauty in the costume of antiquity, taking all 
liberties with the human form for the sake of elegance. 
Some stalked about the stage to astonish with the display 
of muscular strength and brawny limbs. No one spoke 
unless it was a masque to a spectator unmasked. Their 
intercourse was by gestures, bows, &c. which aiforded 
constant opportunities for the display of that ease and en- 
ergy of action, for which the Sicilians are so remarkable. 
The accomplished person and the clown could be easily 
distinguished by the disparity of graces. 

The great object of all, seemed to be a display of ele- 
gance of person or manners. We were astonished at the 
high effect they were able to give to this dumb show, and 
at the shades and varieties of character which could be 
disclosed by such an exhibition. 

The cheerfulness and good humor of the party was 
without interruption. Men and women engaged in affect- 
ed amours, pursuing, retreating, and pretending to lan- 
guish, with a voluptuousness of manners on the confines, 
but (considering it was a masquerade,) always within the 
bounds of decency. 

This was the first act of the play. A band of musi- 
cians now came in and occupied the orchestre. They 
commenced suddenly with a bold and full strain of music 
which " caught with ravishment the thronging audiencCj" 
all the pantomime was changed to attention, until the pre- 
lude ended. The curtain now rose, the stage was filled 
by twenty or thirty dancers, male and female, holding 
wreaths of flowers in their hands and kneeling before a 
statue of Bacchus. To the sound of music all approach* 



79 

ed the statue, casting their flowers at its feet, while one 
of their number placed upon its brow a crown of myrtle, 
and the dance commenced. 

We did not wait to witness the close of the amusements 
of the evening, but retired sooner fatigued than from the 
usual party, the opera. 

20. — The carnival has given a novel appearance to all 
the groupes in the streets. Punchinella is a character of 
increased consequence and success. The Lazzaroni are 
promoted to mountebanks and buffoons. 

Even the rehgious processions partake of the ridicule 
of the occasion. There was a singular exhibition of this 
kind to-day. Priests, monks, citizens of all descriptions, 
women and children, formed a long procession and cross- 
ed the city in various directions. They carried a large 
golden infiage, holding a bunch of grapes in one hand and 
a wand in the other. Next followed an image of silver 
on a cross, then a pall of crimson velvet supported on a 
bier; after this a cross of silver. At short intervals 
through the long procession were carried banners with- 
out inscriptions. Candelabrias, crosses, and other rich 
furniture from the churches. The priests were in the 
dresses of their several orders — black, grey, crowned, 
cawled and without cawls ; all preceded by two files of 
white masques and martial music. 



LETTER Xlll. 

Sicilian diving — Excursion to the shrine of St. Rosa- 
lia — Mt» Peiegrino — Provincial p£cularitie& of Ca^ 

tania. 

Palermo, January 21. 

Many tales have been told of Sicilian diving. A man 
at Catania astonished me so much by his power and ra- 
pidity in the water, that I believed, 1 should be abte to 
produce a wonderful story on this subject. The Sicihans 
are very athletit, are much in the sea taking fish with 
nets, and adventuring in small boats; the water is always 
warm ; why should they not swim ? 

Not long since an English ship, having sprung a leak, 
put into the harbor of Palermo in distress. The captain 
commenced discharging his cargo, for the purpose of ca- 
reening and repairing her. A Sicilian observing it, of- 
fered for a trifling compensation, to stop the leak by div- 
ing ; which he effected. The extent and situation of the 
injury was such, as in the estimation of a judicious En- 
glishman, rendered the undertaking ridiculous and hope- 
less. 

I have been able to record no better story of Sicilian 
diving, A sirocc, superadded to a warm day, blows las- 
situde and stupidity upon u*. 

22. — We had experienced too many of the felicities of 
Palermo, to feel willing to depart from so delightful a ci- 
ty without paying our respects to its patron saint. 

Accordingly a party was formed to-day for the pur- 
pose of visiting the shrine of of St. Rosalia. Our friends 
bad kindly provided sedan chairs for the ladies, and don- 
kies for the gentkmen, which we found ready for uj^ 



81 

when we arrived at the foot of the mountam. The chap- 
el of St. Rosalia, is situated on the summit of Mount Per- 
egrin©, near Palermo. All was soon prepared for the as- 
cent ; the ladies bestowed in the sedan chairs, and the 
gentlemen each furnished with a donkey. 

As a donkey was provided for me by a friend, I could 
do no less than accept of the diminutive animal, though 
I felt almost able to bear him on my own shoulders. He 
discovered his inability to carry me full soon, and re- 
fused to proceed. When the servant endeavored to urge 
him forward, he threw himself down upon the road where 
he remained until we got out of sight, in spite of all en- 
dea vol's to whip him up. 

The ladies, soon tired of their sedans ; the donkies 
were all discarded, and the excursion continued on foot. 

We rested a moment at a small lodge halfway up the 
ascent, where the keeper of the gate expects a few Grains 
for the love of St. Rosalia. 

In a valley near the top of the mountain, which com- 
mands no extent of view except of the heavens, we found 
the church; small and poor, for the termination of the 
pilgrimage of so many votaries, it is built over the cav- 
ern, where the bones of St. Rosalia were discovered. An 
image of marble reclines in the situation, whence the pre- 
cious remains were taken. 

Under the principal altar, also in a reclining posture, 
is another image of the little saint ; the particular object 
of the favor and veneration of religious pilgrims. It is 
covered with diamonds, gems and precious ornaments, 
the donations of folly and superstition. 
• Near the altar, is a fountian ever overflowing. This 
water is the vehicle which conveys to the devout Paler- 
mitan, the miraculous influence of the saint. 



82 

From the roof of the cavern the water constantly distils, 
and is conducted away by small leaden pipes, which are 
covered with Stalactites of beautiful whiteness. 

In the entrance of the church, are hung a great variety 
of paintings and waxen images miserably executed, rep- 
resenting the miracles of St. Rosalia ; presented by the 
grateful individuals to whom she has deigned to extend 
her protection. 

A waggish inmate, in the dress of a monk, showed 
all this nonsense and laughed with us. 

St. Rosalia was the daughter of King William the good, 
remarkable for personal accomplishment and early piety. 
She, unaccountably, disappeared from her friends, and 
for a long time, was supposed to have been translated to 
heaven. 

After many years had elapsed, when a dreadful plague 
raged at Palermo ; a priest who had been much in the 
king's family, during the life of the princess, dreamed 
that he was guided by an angel to the cave of Mt, Pere- 
grino', where he found her remains on the spot where she 
had perished. When engaged in solitary devotion she 
had too long neglected the calls of nature, and died of 
hunger. 

The vision commanded him to cause the bones to be 
carried three times round the city, and the plague would 
be stayed. Rut the priest disregarded the celestial warn-, 
ing. In a few days it was repeated with threats of ven- 
geance, in case of disobedience. The vision was obeyed. 
When the solemn procession had passed round the city 
three times the pestilence ceased. The reliques were 
then returned to this sacred retreat ; a shrine was erected 
and the saint beatified without the knowledge of his Holi- 



83 

ness the Pope. She became the patron saint of the city, 
and continues to protect it to this day. Once a year the 
Palermitans perform a pilgrimage to her tomb. The 
ceremonies connected with this anniversary constitute 
their most splendid religious parade. 

A few weeks since, this holy shrine was robbed of some 
valuable jewels. As no measures have been taken to de- 
tect the robber, it has been whispered, that this outrage- 
ous sacrilege was committed by royal authority. It has 
been suffered to transpire with a degree of indifference, 
that seems to imply connivance on the part of the clergy. 
Not so did the Catanians, on a similar occasion. Thej 
prayed unto saints and dreamed dreams until the treasure 
of St. Agatha was discovered ; hidden in a field. On 
the spot where it was found, a church was erected, which 
now stands a monument of their piety and gratitude. 

The summit of Mount Peregrino, is a bold promontory, 
which overlooks the bay. Upon the brink of the preci- 
pice is a chapel dedicated to St. Rosalia. Here we en- 
joyed a fine view of the sea, the Lapari isles and the 
mountains of Sicily. We could distinguish Etna, by its 
shape and its snow, though more than one hundred miles 
from the spot where we stood. 

Mt. Peregrino, when viewed from Palermo, has the 
appearance of a bare and barren rock. The surface is 
covered with fragments of stones, more or less smoothed 
and rounded, which do not entirely cover the ground. A 
great number of goats were feeding among the rocks in 
all directions. The grass is of the finest kind. 

The rocks are without deep fissures, and the sharp sum- 
mits without precipices. What geologists call the debris, 
(or the sloping side of the eminences) is more gradual 



84 

and apparently older, than I have been accustomed to see 
in America. There are no shrubs to conceal the stones, 
which had given us a mistaken idea of absolute barren- 
ness. 

During our walk we observed a few birds, animals and 
reptiles. Some people were collecting large snails from 
the holes in the rocks, where they found them in great 
abundance. They are used to prepare a soup for the sick. 
As these people turned up the stones for the purpose of 
finding snails, we observed the earth-worm, in its exter- 
nal characters, resembling the common fish-worm of 
New-England, but three or four times larger. A small 
pigeon hawk, seemed to be of the same size and plumage 
as ours. The ravens hung around us in flocks, uttering 
their hoarse notes of ill omen. They are about as large 
as the American crow, but the beak is stronger, and the 
note not the same. 

We commenced the descent about 5 o'clock. 

23. — While at Catania I noticed a considerable con- 
trast between the general appearance of the inhabitants 
of that city and Palermo. We saw there, few well dress- 
ed persons in the streets, and no splendid equipages. 
There is in that city no public promenade, or Marina for 
carriages. The Catanians use less gesture in conversation, 
and are by no means as graceful in their manners ; every 
thing shows them a poorer and less polished people, re- 
moved from the metropolis : yet we judged from the ap- 
pearance of the museums, libraries, &c. that Catania was 
the seat of learning and science, rather than Palermo. 
The museum, attached to the church and convent of St. 
Nocoloso, which I did not mention in my remarks upon 
Catania, is more extensive than any similar collection in 



85 

this city. Indeed, every thing connected with that 
princely establishment, evinces great wealth and mag- 
nificence. It is inhabited by three hundred monks and 
priests, whose lives are devoted to religion and study. 
As celibacy is necessary to their retaining their places, 
the funds of the institution must always afford them the 
most ample support. They enjoy all the advantages of 
education, leisure, and retirement. With a more liberal 
system of religion, and a better form of government, 
what a wonderful source of knovrledge, and improvement 
to mankind, would this establishment prove ? Yet we 
hear nothing of the learned men of Catania ! 

I left that city fully convinced that there were many 
things in their private politics, which I could not com- 
prehend ; but still, astonished that such a noble institu- 
tion did not produce men of science and philosophy, ca- 
pable of becoming bright and shining stars in the learned 
world. 



LETTER XIV. 

Jl convent of Capuchins — Singular manner oj" burial — 
Ride to Mt. Reale — The Prince d'Aei at his gar- 
dens — New residence of my friends, 

^3.-— Two miles from Palermo, in the II Colla, is a 
capuchin convent celebrated on account of its manner of 
burial. The buildings connected with this establishment, 
are considerably extensive and have more claims to mag* 
nificence, than is common to the edifices of this humble 
order of Franciscans. They are professed beggars, and 
have no incomes except such as arise from voluntary con- 

H 



86 

tributions. You can never pass a street or a market, or 
any groupe of a dozen persons, without distinguishing 
some pilgrim of this fraternity, with his long beard, bare 
feet, and chordon of St. Francis. They carry a box in 
their bands, upon which there is a picture representing 
the crucifixion of our Saviour. Their manner of begging 
is to place themselves near the person whose charity they 
solicit, and hold the box towards him with an imploring 
look, but without speaking. The common Lazzaroni 
evidently consider these monks a superior race of beings; 
and they have great reason to treat them with deference, 
as we were convinced this morning, from the numbers we 
observed receiving their accustomed allowance of food 
from their hands. Not less than one hundred of the 
Lazzaroni were making their breakfast before the gat^s 
of the convent, when we arrived. 

The vault where the dead are preserved, is a subter- 
ranean apartment, corresponding in extent with the outer 
walls of the church. The stairway descending to it, is 
near the centre of the building. It is lighted by lateral 
windows like a cellar. The walls all around are filled 
with niches, where, after having undergone a preparatory 
process, the dead are placed. The bodies are secured 
with wire in their niches, and kept in a standing posture, 
clothed with the garments last worn in life. 

When first received into this repository, the bodies are 
laid in a dark cell upon grates of stone, where they are 
exposed to a slow operation of heat for six months. Af- 
ter the muscles and soft parts are dried, the carcasses are 
removed to their niches. The niches are arranged in 
rows, one over another, so close that the apartment is 
literally filled with its silent congregation ; who stand in 



87 

mockery, of the living, and the dead. In the process of 
drying, the faces are distorted into every expression of 
ghastliness and horror, that can be imagined. The skin 
is shrivelled and brovrn ; the teeth exposed, and of rnany 
that have been effected by moisture, the under jaw has 
fallen, so as to distend the mouth, while the skull covered 
with the hair, and the cavvl, is kept in its place. The 
shocking and disgusting effect, is heightened by the 
clothing, which is kept sufficiently entire to prevent the 
bodies from falling to the ground as they decay. 

We left this heart apalHng assembly for a more lighted 
part of the vault, where we saw the bodies of children 
clothed in the gaudy colours of the nursery. 

An African king, who died in Sicily, was buried here. 
The skull and the bones of the arms were planted black 
and placed in a small niche. All the skeletons, standing 
in niches, hold scrolls of parchment in their hands, upon 
which are written their names and ages, with the time of 
their death. 

In the cavern where the bodies are prepared, there 
were four, in different stages of the process. One of these 
was a Prince, whose funeral v/e had a few days since, wit- 
nessed at Palermo. The circumstances of his death as 
then related to us were remarkable. 

Like many of the Sicilian nobility, his incomes were 
extremely limited. The consolation and solace of his old 
age, was an only child and daughter, whom he had spared 
no pains in educating. She was of a proper age to be 
married, and the hope and care of his hfe, was to effect 
for her an advantageous connextiou. At the opening of 
the theatre of St. Carlos, at Naples, many of the nobili- 
ty, with a relation of this Prince, went to witness tiie 



88 

splendid exhibition. The favorite daughter was of the 
party, under the protection of her relation. During the 
subsequent festivities, this accomplished young lady at- 
tracted the notice and partiality of a Spanish nobleman, of 
wealth and consequence. A negociation was commenced, 
which soon terminated in a treaty of marriage. When 
information of its happy consummation reached the father, 
he was overwhelmed with the joyful intelligence, and siir*- 
rived but a few hours. 

24. — In our accustomed ride- to-day, we visited the 
country residence of our friend Mr. I. on the acclivity of 
Mont Reale, four miles from the city. It is so dehght- 
faily situated that Mr. A. whose health j^et remains deli- 
cate, has determined to accept of the very kind invitation 
of Mr. I. and remove to it without delay. 

Mr. I. was of our parly, and his servants having had 
notice of our coming, had prepared refreshments of wine^ 
and fruits. 

In the garden we found an abundance of oranges, now 
ripe, of the kind, called blood orange from their colour. 

On our return we met the Prince d'Aci, who had re* 
quested the American consul and our party, to see him at 
his gardens near Palermo. H^e had previously sent for Capt. 
Blake, the agent for the American ship Sally Anne, and 
had changed her quarantine in consequence of his repre- 
sentation, from eighteen, to seven days. This favor was 
unsolicited and unexpected. He then dismissed Capt. 
Blake, with a present of half a dozen pheasants, and a 
wild boar from his park. As we walked through the 
garden, the Prsetor pointed out to us several American 
plants, on which, he had the civility to say, he placed a 
particular value in compliment to our eouatryc He made 



89 

many enquiries about America, and observed, that " Si- 
cily was worn out," *' and your country too," to an En- 
glishman ; •' If I were not past fifty years of age, and 
infirm, 1 would emigrate to America." 

In the evening" we repaired, as usual, to the opera. AVe 
have found no other public amusement, or any place, 
where we can while away a few hours with so much plea- 
sure. We have met the same faces, so frequently there, 
that we begin to feel domesticated among them. The 
good old physician, Patronajo, is always present, and he 
never fails to offer us some civility. We are even recog- 
nised by the players. 3Iadam Dardanella, came to our 
box this evening to mention to the American consul and 
his friend, that to-morrow night would be her benefit, and 
to beg we would accept of the box, where she had been 
happy to observe us, for several evenings. This civility 
was obviously intended for Mr. Porter. In the box ad- 
joining that in which we were seated, we observed a lad 
sixteen or eighteen years of age, of delicate appearance and 
singular beauty. While we were making our remarks, 
and whispering his praises, he seated himself very near 
us, when lo ! the beautiful lad proved to be a lady, very 
prettily dressed in men's clothes. We have frequentlj^ 
observed woman dressed in this way, in the pit, but never 
before in the boxes. It is not considered proper for wo- 
men to be seated in the pit, and we have never seen them 
there, unless they were in the disguise of men. 

25. — We intended to have spent an hour, in walking 
through the apartments of the palace of the Prince Butera, 
but were detained there nearly all day, and at last did 
not complete our tour of this magnificent edifice. We 
were attended through the suits of apartments^ by a ser- 

h2 



90 

vant in livery, who repeatedly informed ns that he was 
the major duomo ; and in the absence of the Princess 
Butera, had orders to demean himself with courtesy to- 
v.'ards strangers-. The apartments on the first floor are 
spacious, and the furniture plain, but extremely rich, 
consisting of tables of the finest marble, mirrors, chairs, &c. 

The principal dining hall is large enough to accommo- 
date three or four hundred guests, and the tables perma- 
nently fixed in the centre of the room. In the next story 
many of the apartments are hung with silken tapestry, 
manufactured in Palermo. The mirrors are large and 
expensively guilt, the candalabrias, urns, &c. of immense 
Talue. On this floor is a bath ; a cabinet of natural cu- 
piosities, philosophical instruments, and a magnificent 
chapel. 

In the third story is a library, a collection of paint- 
ings and sculpture, and apartments for lodging. A- 
mong the pictures we observed a well executed full 
length portrait of lord Nelson^ and several pictures of la- 
dy Hamilton. 

28. — I am spending my last days in this delightful 
city, and have determined to take the next packet for Na- 
ples. My friends are pleasantly situated at their new 
residence, and will remain there until the winter, or rainy 
season is past. If the wind favors me, this is my last 
date from Palermo. Adieu. 






91 



LETTER XV. 

Voyage to Naples — Description of the Bay — Vesuvius 

— Arrival and prattique Police investigation 

Lodgings — First walk in Naples — ^The Studio—The 
Catacombs, 

Ship Sally Anne, at Sea, Feb. 1. 

We sailed from Palermo at G p. ivi. or according" to the 
Sicilian mode of computing time, the 24th hour of the last 
day of January. At Palermo the day begins at 7 and 
ends at 6 p. m. They do not count to twelve, and then 
commence again at one, but continue their computation 
to the twenty-fourth hour. Mid day is consequently the 
eighteenth hour ; but to make themselves intelligible to 
Englishmen they sometimes say, the first, second, third 
hour, &c. after mid day. We have nothing to do but to 
tell the hours, beginning as we will, and counting as idly 
as we choose ; for we are this morning becalmed so far 
from land that we can only see the blue mountains of Si- 
cily — soon to fade on our vision forever ! A feeling of 
sadness and regret mingles with our last adieu. We have 
left behind us, millions of human beings, and can 
never again study their manners and peculiarities. A 
chapter of human nature has been passed over, unlearn- 
ed — 'the probation of our curiosity in Sicily has ended. 
How many facts have escaped us ! How many cities, 
monuments, and ruins, have we failed to visit ! How 
many regions left imexplored ! how little, added to our 
knowledge of a country so full of interest ! 

Do not, my dear friend, complain of my limited and 
unsatisfactory view, but consider that my hasty excur- 



92 

sions will not admit of my entering into long discus- 
sions which indeed should be the business of learned lei- 
sure. If there is any thing* worthy of our curiosity in the 
present aspect, the mere exterior of things ; it is this 
only I can promise as a reward for the labor of following 
me in my journeys and voyages. 

Feb. •2.— We had a favorable wind for a few hours last 
evening, but it has changed to n. e. and this morning, 
blows a gale. The sky is clear, and the weather un- 
comfortably cold. 

Feb. 3. — Sick ! sick ! sick ! We have commenced our 
fourth day at sea, and are still tossing before a head windi 
We suppose ourselves about ninety miles from Calabria, 
and one hundred from Naples, though we can see no land. 
The sky continues clear, but the aspect of the sea and the 
heavens is as cheerless and dreary as if it were raining in 
torrents. It is as much as I can do (for sea sickness) to 
climb the companion way, and holding with both hands, 
contemplate for a short time the dreary prospect. The 
ocean tossing its mountain waves to the sky ; now lifts us 
above, now sinks us into the abyss, as if to plunge us into 
its bosom forever ! A sense of solitude overwhelms the 
imagination, when surrounded by the waste of tumultuous 
waters. So far from human aid ; so dependant upon the 
rude elements, the soul involuntarily addresses its silent 
aspirations to the God of nature, and leans upon the pro- 
tection of his watchful providence. 

Feb. 4. — We are not in sight of laud, but suppose we 
have lost distance for the last twenty-four hours. The 
wind has ceased, and the sea is nearly smooth ; we can 
now enjoy the delightful season, and easily make our-^ 
selves content to linger on our voyage. At sun set the 



93 

sky was clear ; even when at sea, and no island relieves 
the sameness of the prospect, the clear sun setting is sin- 
gularly beautiful. The brightness of the sky tinged with 
gold, and the quiet expanse of ocean, are peculiarly en- 
chanting at this hour. 

Feb. 5. — The coast of Italy is at last in view, but we 
know not what part of it ; so much have we been driven 
from our course. We have not had a good observation 
for the last two days. 

Feb. G. — We ascertained by an observation, at 12 o'- 
clock yesterday, that we were a little to the north of our 
port. About midnight we passed between Iscia and Pro- 
ceda, two small islands in the mouth of the bay of Naples, 
and were colled from our beds to catch the first view of 
Vesuvius. The night was dark, and we could see nothing 
but the volcano, which served as a light to direct our 
course. Its eruptions are similar in frequency and ap- 
pearance to those we observed at Strombolo. 

This morning we were becalmed until 10 o'clock, and 
have since been beating against a pretty strong head wind, 
which has rendered it necessary for us to approach the 
shores of this celebrated bay at different points. The 
surrounding country is bold and greatly variegated. To a 
spectator in the bay it appears mountainous, but on ap- 
proaching the shores he discovers extensive and fertile 
plains, gradual hills, and all the diversitj'- of surface which 
combines beauty with grandeur. 

Human structures are but specks in the great pictures 
of nature. On a near view we find they are not wanting 
around the bay of Naples. Palaces, villas, and castles, 
are scattered in all directions, but they are entirely stT- 
condary in the majestic scenery before us. 



94 

2 o* clock.' — The only fault v/e have ventured to find 
with this beautiful bay, is its great extent, which dimin- 
ishes, in too remote perspective, the life and reality of 
things. The bays of Palermo and Messena* have not this 
fault. Vegetation is in full verdure around those harbors, 
but has here, been injured by frost. The extensive vine- 
yards to the west of Naples, look like naked American 
forests in the winter season. We were surprized at this ; 
though we need not have been, had we adverted to the 
fact, that the Sicilians had been shipping fruits to this 
place for some weeks before we left Palermo. 

Naples is now in view, situated upon the side of a hill, 
overlooked by its fortress, and almost encircling its har- 
bor, which is filled with the sails of all nations. 

10 o'clock. — We anchored in the harbor of Naples at 
5 o'clock. The health boat visited us, and in an hour we 
received prattique. It v*'as too late for nie and my two 
American companions to find lodgings in the city, and we 
concluded to spend the night on board the ship. Our ship 
was moored in a secure harbor, amidst a fleet of merchant 
vessels, which gave us an exalted idea of the commerce of 
Naples. Before we had been half an hour at anchor, a 
boat loaded with half a dozen musicians came under our 
bow and began with much gravity to serenade us. W^e 
soon found that their civility was an appeal to our gener- 
ositj'^, and they persevered in playing and singing, until 
they were more than once, complimented and dismissed. 

1.^ — We repaired to the police office on account of our 
passports, as soon as it was open. The halls, and avenues, 

* The spelling of Messeiia is copied from a sea chart ; it is 
usually, and more accurately written Messina. 



95 

of the building were filled with people ; some on the same 
errand with ourselves and others answering before the of- 
ficers of justice, for various misdemeanors. We waited 
in a crowd of Lazzaroni, and culprits of all descriptions, 
until twelve o'clock, when at length our passport receiv- 
ed the necessary signatures. 

My next enquiry was about lodgings. It is necessary 
to take lodgings here as at Palermo, and I have found a 
very convenient house near the pubhc garden, to which 
there is no objection, except its enormous rent. Mr. H. 
an American gentleman whom 1 have had the good fortune 
to meet, has aided me in the search for a habitation, and 
as he has resided considerable time at Naples, I shall fol- 
low his advice. 

Via Vittoria, Feb. 8, 1816. 

The house we have taken, and where 1 am now writinsr, 
is near the public garden, and fronts towards the baj^ of 
which we have an unobstructed view. The garden is the 
principal public promonade of Naples, and the street 
where we are situated the route for carriages, like the 
Marina of Palermo. The garden. Via Vittoria, and a 
wide street extending parallel with the garden, called 
Chiajay are frequented by the same description of peo- 
ple, and for the same purposes as the Marina. 

My first walk happened to be through the principal 
street, the Corso. In examining new objects, one of the 
first things that occurs to us, is to compare what is pre- 
sent with what we have seen on former occasions. In com- 
parison with the Toledo at Palermo, this street is wider ; 
is filled with a greater and more active crowd, greater 
and richer displays of merchandize, and has more the ap- 
pearance of business. Many of the buildings are elegant. 



m 

hut destitute of the uniform and imposing grandeur, of 
the edifices of Palermo. 

I intended to have seen the Studio, but finding it shut, 
I continued my walk to th« sepulchral chapel of St. Seve- 
ro. This building is remarkable on account of three 
statues which were sculptured by Carradini. I had heard 
and read descriptions of these statues, and my expectation 
was much excited. The best executed of the three, is our 
Saviour in the sepulchre, covered with thin drapery, and 
the implements of crucifixion by his side. Little inferior 
to this, is the second figure, Modesty, standing in a niche, 
covered with a veil, so transparent and light, that every 
feature is more than shown through it. The remaining 
piece is an allegorical design representing a man struggling 
to disengage himself from a net, aided by an angel. It 
alludes to the conversion of one of the family in whose 
honor, and memory, the chapel was erected. 

What is particularly admired in these statues, is the 
astonishing imitation of drapery that covers the whole 
form and the countenance, without destroying the expres- 
sion and character of the composition ; also the labori- 
ous execution of the mesches of the net. The idea, I am 
informed is original, of covering all the features. The 
Saviour discloses through the light folds which conceal 
his face, *'a divine expression of countenance." 

9. — Having delivered a number of letters, I spent the 
morning in making some necessary calls. At 2 o'clock 
I went again to the Studio, which I found open. I need 
not inform you that the Studio is the principal gallery of 
^Naples, where the choicest and most valuable statues, 
paintings and antiquities of the south of Italy, are collec- 
ted. 



97 

The entrance, and the lowest story of this immense 
building is filled with statuary. The second contains the 
library, and gallery of paintings, the Herculanean manu- 
scripts, and the collection of antique vases, idols and uten- 
sils. Many of the statues are from Herculaneiim and 
Pompeii. The most valuable on account of their sculp- 
ture, were brought from the galleries of theFarnese palace 
at Rome, and are the spoils of the ancient baths of Gara- 
calla. Among these the most remarkable statue is the 
colossal Hercules. It was sculptured by Glycon, an Athe- 
nian, and is considered the most perfect representation in 
existence, of strength reposing from toil. Hercules is 
supposed to rest after one of his labors. The statue has 
contracted a yellow stain by age. 

It is impossible to make particular observations upon 
«ven the most remarkable objects in such a vast collec- 
tion. It appeared to me that many of the statues, vases 
and antiques, possessed charms to the eye of the learned 
only. 

The gallery of paintings contains an immense number 
of pictures, but in my rapid survey, I felt as much confu- 
sion as pleasure. The attention is wearied, and the mind 
disturbed, by hurrying along from picture to picture : 
I could not tell which pleased me most, yet felt myself im- 
pelled by an irresistible curiosity, to glance at all. 

The impression left on the mind by sculpture, is less 
confused, after such a hasty view, than that produced by 
the inspection of pictures. The excellence of sculpture 
seems also more obvious to the eye, and the feeling. 

In visiting the Studio in future, it will be necessary to 
confine the attention to a few objects. To look at the 
whole is Hke meeting a crowd of strangers, 

I 



98 

"When 1 had fatigued myself, and confused my brain, 
in this endless museum, I returned to the chapel of St, 
Severo, There was a peculiar pleasure in sitting; a short 
time in this choice circle of exquisite productions ; not 
Bnlike that which is felt in returning to the fire side of a 
particular friend, after having spent a weary evening in a 
mixed and crowded company. 

11. — A large suit of apartments in the Studio, is oc- 
cupied with articles from Ilerculaneum and Pompeii. 
The Herculanean manuscripts are in a charred state, and 
so numerous that a case more than thirty feet long and 
twenty in height, is filled with them. These manuscripts 
were w'ritten upon papyrus, and folded in such a manner 
that the conclusion of the work forms the outside of the 
joli. The process of unfolding is very slow; as fast as 
the characters are discovered, they are copied with a 
pencil, and directly engraved upon copper. Nothing of 
great value has yet been discovered. Two or three per- 
sons are constantly employed in this slow and tedious la- 
bor. The machine for unrolling is a small frame, placed 
on a table, consisting of two upright standards, and a 
cross bar, from which is suspended a strip of parchment, 
corresponding in width with the manuscript ; on this 
parchment is spread a tenacious mucilage. That part of 
the papyrus where the unrolling is to commence, is cau- 
tiously attached to the parchment, when as much as be- 
comes moistened adheres; while the roll itself, slowly 
gravitates towards the bottom of the frame. Centuries 
will be required to finish the manuscripts preserved in 
this wonderful cabinet. 

The floors of the apartments, containing the antiquities 
€'f Pompeii, are covered with mosaic work brought from 



99 

that city, and laid in the same manner as fuund in the an- 
cient buildings from which it has been taken. 

A part of the business of the morning was to visit the 
catacombs in the north eastern suburbs of the city. I 
waited at the entrance, before a chapel of St. Januarius, a 
full hour ; when I was joined by my Anjerican friend 
Mr. Trotter, " Oh ! these knavish Neapolitans ; how 
they cheat and deceive me !" exclaimed Mr. T. after hay- 
ing scolded his valet de place for not bringing him more 
directly to the catacombs. Mr. T. speaks bad French 
and no Italian. His valet knows very little French, and 
not a word of English ; of course, mistakes and misun- 
derstandings must occur frequently. Malfutta, my valet, 
was with me, but he can speak no English, and my scan- 
ty stock of French words frequently left us in awkward 
dilemmas. After mutual dissertations upon the blunders of 
the morning, we entered the cavern through a broad level 
passage which penetrates the steep hill, near the hospital 
of St. Januarius. After continuing three or four hundred 
feet in a straight line the excavation divides into narrow 
galleries, diverging in all directions ; the sides of the 
walls are filled with an immense number of horizontal 
cavities, arranged like shelves, one over another, in which 
the dead are placed. 

The bodies were enclosed with slight masonry, which 
in a few instances remains nearly entire. Two guides at- 
tended us, with flambeaux, and we perceived as we con- 
tinued our walk, the roof of the cavern becoming mort; 
lofty, and the galleries more spacious. We entered a 
large apartment, where we observed an altar, and some 
poorly executed paintings, which showed it had been once 
used as a chapel. These coarse fresco paintings are be- 



100 

lieved to have been executed in the sixth century. From 
this chapel, narrow stairs ascend and descend to exten- 
sive galleries above and below. In some of these gal- 
leries we saw bones piled in large quantities, or thrown 
promiscuously into pits. The galleries, as far as we ex- 
plored them, were without regularity, but dry, and the 
bones in good preservation. The extent of these ceme- 
teries is much too great to admit of their being thoroughly 
examined by a casual visitor. We traced them until we 
were fatigued ; and if our guides had not well under- 
stood their duty, we should have been bewildered in in- 
extricable labyrinths. 

It has been supposed by many that the catacombs were 
f-xravated by the early christians as places of refuge in 
tiines of persecution ; or to serve as chapels for the cele- 
bration of their worship in secret ; or as places of sepul- 
ture, where the ashes of the dead might remain undis- 
turbed. But how could a persecuted sect perform such 
immense labors without the aid of government ? 

Another conjecture, which seems much more probable 
is, that the excavations were made for the purpose of ob- 
taining Puzzolana, and were used from time immemorial 
as public cemeteries. At present they are not used a& 
places of burial. 



lOI 



LETTER XVI. 

Review of Austrian troops — - Weather — Grotto of 

Pausilypo Pozzuoli — Temple of Diana — SoJfa^ 

tara — Amphitheatre and other ruins of Baiae — 3/o- 
nastery of St. Januarius — Second day at Baiae — 
School of Virgil — Lucrine lake — Avernus — Grotto 
of the Sibyl — Baths of Nero — Cape of Misevus — 
Elysian Fields — Prison of Nero — Tomb of Agrip- 
pina, 

Feb. 12. — Tn the raoniing we attended a review of 
10,000 Austrian troops, at which the King of Naples and 
the Vice-Roy of Sicily were present. It was fine — quite 
beyond my powers of description. The weather was so 
warm that we felt oppressed when viewing this splendi<l 
parade from the balcony of our friend's house on the north 
side of the Cbiaja. The Chiaja is a wide street extcndinj^' 
parallel with the public garden, which bounds it on one 
side, from Mt. Pausilypo to the two streets called Via 
Vittoria, and Corso. It is wide and finely flagged, aflford- 
ing one of the finest areas for a military review that can 
be imagined. The balconies of the Chiaja were crowd- 
ed with spectators, and the garden filled with people. 
The troops performed their evolutions with great rapidi- 
ty, and the whole pageant vanished before eleven o'clock. 

At no season of the year, do we have more delightful 
weather in New-England. You know how much has been 
said in praise of the climate of Italy, and I presume no 
description can do it more than justice. But it is the 
English that speak in such rapturous terms of the bright- 
Bess of the Italian sky. They have not a «Iear atmos- 
i2 



102 

phere in their own country ; but I must confess that I 
have not yet seen any thing to exceed the star hght nights 
in America, or to equal the dazzling brightness of our 
clear days in winter. * The Italians enjoy a mild and a- 
greeable temperature, through all the seasons, with which 
our changeable climate will bear no comparison. 

We spent the evening at the house of an English gen- 
tleman, where I had the pleasure of meeting eight of my 
countrymen, who were travellers, besides several Ameri- 
can gentlemen who reside at Naples. 

L'j. — As I have but a few days to spend at Naples, I 
commenced without delay my tour of its environs, by anr 
excursion to Pozzuoli, about five miles from the city. I 
took my valet into a cabriolet, and mentioned to the 
driver my place of destination, he obeyed in a style that 
would have done honor to Jehu of old* The road 
passes through the grotto of Pausilypo, which is an artifi- 
cial perforation through Mount Pausilypo, near a mile in 
length. It is wide enough to allow three carriages to pass 
abreast, and its height from 40 to 50 feet : two galleries 
commence in th^ roof of the cavern at a considerable dis- 
tance from each entrance, and perforate the mountain ob- 
liquely upwards to admit light. At the centre of the pas- 
sage is a small chapel dedicated to the holy virgin, and a 
row of lamps forming a beautiful arch over the head of 
the traveller. Lamps are placed at intervals through the 
whole passage execept where it is lighted from the open- 
ings, and entrances or ports of the grotto. The direction 
of this cavern is such, that towards the end of October 
the sun, just when it is setting, shines through its whole 
length. The history of this vast excavation, like that of 
the catacombs, is unknown ; the gate keeper, among 



103 

other fables of its origin, says that it was made by the 
enchantments of Virgil. 

The stone of this grotto is a hardened Puzzolana of a 
beautifnl cream colour, and proper to be used for build- 
ing. The most probable conjecture is, that the excava- 
tions were begun for the purpose of obtaining building 
stone for Naples, and continued, to shorten the distance 
and improve the road to Pozzuoli and Baiae. The tomb 
of Virgil is above the entrance of the grotto. 

Our son of Jehu, seemed to delight in the speed with 
which he hurried us along ; after leaving Mt. Pausilypo 
we passed a champaigne country, three or four miles in 
extent, which is planted with vines and mulberry trees. 
The vines are not close pruned like those noticed in Sici- 
ly, but are allowed to chmb upon poplar trees (Populus 
dilatata) which from the bay of Naples appeared to us 
like forests. A few small cottages which we noticed scat- 
tered in this delightful solitude, with a little aid of the 
imagination, may be supposed the romantic retreats of ru- 
ral happiness and innocence. The approach to Pozzuoli 
is one of those beautiful portions of earth which are in-= 
describable. What invisible spirit has chosen it, I know 
not, but surely some being more pure than man, watches 
here, over the graves of millions, the ruins of cities and 
the regions of silence and oblivion. Before us is the site 
of ancient Baiae, now a waste — the cape of Misenus — - 
the Elysian fields — the shores of Avernus and the hill 
that conceals the grotto of the Cumean Sybil ! When the 
name of England was unknown, and the existence of our 
country had not been conjectured by civilized men, those 
whom England has been proud to imitate, and America 
has called illustrious, have stood, perhaps, where yee stand. 



104 

and wondered at the quiet sea, the glorious sky, and the 
varied landscape ! 

Having reached a rocky point on the sea shore, we 
«ame suddenly in sight of Pozzuoii, and stopped on the 
gentle rise which overlooks it, to examine the ruins of a 
temple of Diana, and of an ancient amphitheatre, if we 
had required any further evidence that man existed here 
two thousand years ago, these ruins furnished it, but the 
rocks, the earth, and the ocean, seem to me as authentic 
monuments of the lapse of ages. 

We ascended the gradual steep a little farther, to the 
Solfatara. It is shaped like an extinguished crater, which 
it doubtless is, and contains five or six acres. As we de- 
scended into it, we followed a foot path through a low 
growth of evergreen shrubs. The shrubs only extend 
around the margin of the crater ; the bottom is covered 
with chrystals of sulphur, and so hot, that I could feel it 
burning under my feet. A vapor rises slowly from the 
earth, but without intermission ; of a suffocating odor, 
and half conceals the 

"singed bottom all involved 
" With stencil and smoke :" 

If Milton did not borrow his ideas of the aspect of the 
infernal regions from this place, he has nearly described 
it, when he supposes the Prince of darkness to stand upon 
the firm brimstone. 

" on dry land 
" He lights, if it were land, tliat ever burned 
" With solid, as the lake with liquid fire ;" 

Near the centre of the Solfatara is an excavation, with 
steps to descend about twenty feet. I took off my coat 
and descended into this pit, but was soon compelled bj 



105 

the heat to return. It is filled with steam, which is al- 
ways of the same temperature. 

We next examined the amphitheatre of ancient Baiae. 
It was so strongly built as to resist the shock of the earth- 
quake which destroyed the city. Its walls have been 
lately uncovered to considerable extent. It was built oif 
brick, and covered about an acre of ground. 

The buildings and ruins in this vicinity were sunk to a 
considerable depth. The temple of Jupiter Serapis is 
nearly on a level with the beach. Its marble altar and 
fine Corinthian columns have been corroded by sea water, 
but raised at some subsequent period to their present 
level. The sleep banks, hills, and excavations in this 
neighborhood, show an immense extent of ruined mason* 
ry, broken earthen ware, marbles and other remains. At 
a short distance is Monte Nuoco, a considerable moun« 
tain covering the site of a part of Baiae. It was thrown 
up by a volcanic eruption in a single night. 

Not far from the temple of Jupiter Serapis, but upon 
higher ground, were the temples of Diana, Venus, and 
Bacchus. The walls of these buildings were of such great 
strength, and thickness, that they have not been thrown 
down by earthquakes. There are many temples in this 
vicinity. Those are least injured which had roofs, rising 
directly from the lateral walls, making the top a dome. 
The construction best calculated to resist violence and 
decay, is that which combines the circle and the arch. 

We turned from the remains of ancient magnificence 
and temples of idolatry, to the modern monastery and cap- 
uchin church near the Solfatara. It is the shrine of St. 
Januarius, the patron saint of Naples. On this spot St. 
Januarius was beheaded after having miraculously escaped 



106 

from the wild beasts in the neighboring ainphitheatrei> 
An angel caught the blood, which is to this day preservedy 
and becomes liquid at every anniversary of his death* 
Near one of the altars a door opens upon a rock which 
shows a stain of that holy blood. When the phial of blood 
liquifies this assumes a crimson hue. A priest with a sha- 
ved head showed me this, with great solemnity and seri- 
ousness. The ancient Italians had a religion as rational ! 
A reasonable man would as soon kneel before the altar of 
Jupiter Serapis, as of St. Januarius. This saint is to Na- 
ples what St. Agatha is to Catania, and St. Rosalia to Pa- 
lermo. Venus, Diana, and Jupiter, were persons of no 
less doubtful character. 

I rode back to Naples just after sun set. The vine dress- 
ers, " their labor done," had collected around their mis- 
erable hovels, with less appearance of comfoi t and con- 
tent than I expected. Nature is so lavish of her provis- 
ions in this delightful country, that one would suppose 
idleness itself could hardly reduce men to starvation and 
want. Yet these laborers were covered with rags, and 
almost without exception ran toward us : instead of bow- 
ing or accosting us civilly, as American laborers would 
have done, they begged for money. 

14.— I returned to Pozzuoli this morning in a boat 
which I preferred to a cabriolet that I might view the 
coast from the ba}^ I engaged a waterman who keeps his 
boat near my lodgings, to row me there, and v/as ready to 
start at an early hour. It is indispensably necessary to 
inake a bargain and fix upon a price before you employ a 
Neapolitan ; or he will charge you enormously, and never 
be satisfied. 1 agreed then, with Ralpho, that he should 
furnish his boat with two rowers beside himself, to take 



107 

me and my valet de place to Baiae or Pozzuoli, where he 
should wait as long as I chose to detain him, and then to 
return us to the castle d'Ovo. For this service I agreed 
to pay him one dollar and fifty cents and a gift, if he 
performed his agreement well. The preliminaries fully 
explained and settled, we embarked at the castle d'Ovo at 
six o'clock. 

We kept close to the shore, which is strewed with 
ruins to the water's edge. In many places broken masses 
of mason work are half concealed by the waves. As soon 
as we weathered the point of Pausilypo, a heavy swell 
from the sea drove us rapidly between the small islands 
and the main, into the bay of Baiae. After doubling the 
point of Pausilypo the shore is bold and full of caverns 
and fissures. The school of Virgil is a rough point which 
stretches towards Nisida. It is black and barren, but its 
rugged features impart to it a beauty which has render- 
ed it worthy of being dignified by the name of their fa- 
vorite poet. 

Nisida is a small island, a short distance from this point.- 
lis shores are so perpendicular that there is a safe har- 
bor between it and the main where ships ride quarantine. 

I directed Ralpho to leave me upon one of the piers of 
the mole which once formed or defended the harbor of 
Pozzuoli. This work was not solid Hke modern moles, but 
consisted of a series of arches like a bridge ; the abut- 
ments were laid with brick and small stones, with a great 
proportion of mortar. The cement has been more dura- 
ble under water than the bricks or stones, which in many 
places are washed away and have left the mortar retain- 
iasr a reticulated surface. 



108 

We landed at the head of the bay at the entrance of a 
small canal which leads to the Lucrine lake ; which is 
a muddy pool filled with weeds, and at this day only 
remarkable for its abundant supply offish. After walk- 
ing along- its eastern shore for thirty or forty rods we 
came in sight of another small lake, with high and steep 
banks on all sides, except that on which we approached : 
on the opposite shore two small cabins near the water's 
edge ; on the east a ruin, covered with ivy ; the high 
banks all around covered with low shrubs and brambles 
— it was Avernus ! 

We walked a little distance upon the southern bank to 
the entrance of the grotto of the Cumean Sibyl. The 
aged priestess who guided iEneas, had forsaken her sanc^ 
tuary ; but the Cicerone lighted his flambeau, and I fol- 
lowed him into the narrow subterranean passage, about 
five feet in height and eight in width, which leads to- 
wards the centre of the hill. When we had penetrated 
about ten rods, our track was interrupted by a chamber 
crossing that in which we entered at right angles. We 
turned to the right and descended through a narrow gal- 
lery five or six rods. The roof was so low that we were 
under the necessity of stooping, and we soon came to a 
place where the floor was covered with water. I was now 
compelled to accept the offer of my guide ta carry me up- 
on his back, and in this style, was ushered into the 
chamber of the priestess. 

The appartment is about eight feet by twelve. Its 
furniture consists of a basin hewn out of the rock on one 
side, and on the opposite, a table also hewn out of the rock 
which is called the sopha. Here say the learned was 



109 

the retreat of the Cumean Sibyl and the Sanctum Sanc- 
torum of her mysteries. 

We continued our walk in a straight line, on the same 
level as we entered, and came out on the opposite side of 
the hill. 

A considerable cluster of buildings appeared before us 
on the opposite bank as we came out from the grotto. In 
ancient times these buildings extended along the brow of 
the hill and skirted the coast for a considerable distance. 
They were erected by Nero as houses for bathing. Some 
repairs have been made, within a few j'ears, and the 
baths frequented by invalids. 

On entering one of the deserted apartments, we observed 
the steam covering the walls and rising in a thick cloud 
to the roof. A passage leads from this chamber, hewn 
through the rock like the grotto of the Sibyl, descend- 
ing to a boihng spring which emits the steam to the 
apartments nbove. The same guide who had carried me 
in safety through the grotto, challenged me to accept his 
conduct here, and taking a flambeau as before led the 
way through the heated and narrow passage. It required 
a little resolution to master the current of steam which 
repelled us from the entrance. I found that by stooping 
I escaped the most heatetl column, which passed over my 
head, and my body soon accommodated itself to the high 
temperature. The water in the spring is always at the 
boiling point. After we had remained a short time en- 
veloped in steam so highly heated, the temperature be- 
came very agreeable, and we experienced no chill in re- 
turning to the air. 

Our next place of destination was the Promontor}'^ of 
Misenus, which received its name from Misenus the pir 

K 



no 

]*er of iEneas, who was drowned in the neighboring bay, 
and here interred by the kind hand of his master. 

Under our feet, the soil was filled with fragments of 
bricks and marble, broken walls and pavements. We 
were yet within the limits of what was cnce Baiae. 

When v/e had gained the hill, the extremity of which 
forms the capeof 3lisenus, we looked down upon the Mare 
Morto (sad acheron) and the Elysian Fields. Charon row- 
ed the dead across the Mare Morto to the Elysian Fields, 
which are now covered with a low growth of shrubs. A 
few white stones without inscriptions indicate that it was 
once a place of burial. These stones are plain, square 
blocks of white marble. 

The bell was ringing and I followed the peasants to 
the little church in the village of Baiae. The humble in- 
habitants assembled in their gala dresses, were all 
upon their knees before an image of the virgin and an 
infant of wax. It was a holiday, and the church decora- 
ted and illuminated by a dazzling galaxy of lamps. 
Three priests were officiating at the altars. Eighteen 
hundred years ago the people of Baiae may have been 
engaged in worship with as correct ideas, of themselves 
and of deity. 

Continuing our walk we visited the subterraneous re- 
Riains of the prison of Nero, and explored by candle 
light the cells for confinement. The place bears internal 
evidence of having been a prison ; as the rings remain, 
to which prisoners were fastened. The width of the cells 
were just sufficient to permit a person of ordinary stature 
to lie extended upon the floor. The stone which forms 
the pavements was raised upon one side high enough to 
serve as a pillow for the prisoners. Not far from this 



HI 

spot is the building called the tomb af Agrippina. One 
may here view the scene of the debaucheries of the mon- 
ster Nero ; the theatre of his cruelties, and the tomb of 
his mother, who was murdered by his command. 



LETTER XVII. 

The tomb of Virgil — Public garden — The Opera — 
Portici — The King's palace and museum, 

Feb. 15. — The tomb of Virgil is on the side of Mt. 
Pausiiypo, oyer the entrance of the grotto. It is about 
half a mile from our place of residence ; the walk to it is 
through the public garden, along the Chiaja, and the road 
called Strada Puzzuolana, When we arrived at the 
opening of the grotto we turned to the left and ascended 
the hill by a winding path, which leads through a vine- 
yard. We did not discover the small building called 
the tomb of Virgil, until we had walked beyond it, and 
again descended a little distance towards the mouth of 
tlie cavern. It stands on the brink of a precipice, sur- 
rounded by steep and broken rocks. The building is of 
a circular form, about twenty-five feet in circumference ; 
its roof is covered with soil, and supports an ilex of con- 
siderable size. It contains a single apartment with four 
small niches on a level with the floor. On the south side 
is a door, so low that it was necessary to stoop as we en- 
tered it, and on the north a window. The pavenunt of 
the cell is smooth and the niches empty. On a marble 
slab placed in the rock near the door we observed the fol- 
lowing well known epitaph. 

Mantua me genuit, Caiabri rapuere, tenet iupmc 
Parlhenope, cecini puscua, rara, duces. 



112 

It is a matter of considerable doubt among the learned 
whether this tomb ever contained the ashes of Virgil, but 
it seems a pity to unsettle the pleasing faith, which. makes 
this spot so interesting to the unlearned, as well as the 
classic piigrim. 

"VVe returned through the pablic garden, which is con- 
siderably more extensive than the garden of Palermo. It 
was enlarged and much improved by Murat during the 
short period of his authority at Naples, but his design 
was only in part accomplished. A large piece of ground 
was enclosed by an iron palisade, antl k veiled, with the in- 
tention of planting it in parterres, and ornamenting it with 
statues and fountains ; which has received no improvemenl 
since the d^ath of Murat. lie had also commenced a 
magnifieeBt road over Mount Pausiiypo, a little distance 
south of the entrance of the grotto. This, I understand 
was intended principally as an ornamental work, and is 
going to decay for the want of attention. In that part 
of the garden which had received the last improvements 
of king Joachim, as he was familiarly called by the Nepo« 
litans, there is a display of taste and magnificence which 
is deservedly the pride and boast of the city. A more 
delightful situation for a promonade cannot be imagined, 
and it would be difficult to conceive of an artificial orna» 
ment which would render it more complete. The statues 
are more numerous and generally better sculptured than 
those in the garden of Palermo ; many are of collossal di- 
mentions, and are placed upon high pedestals. The foun- 
tains are large, and their ornaments in good taste, and 
endless variety. But the most distinguished ornament of 
the garden is a groupe of statues, representing Amphioa 
and Zethus binding Dirce to the horns of a bull. 



113 

This celebrated piece of sculpture, was found anion* 
the ruins of the baths of Caracalla at Rome, and was re- 
moved to Naples by one of the Princes of the Farnese 
family, to whom it belong-ed. The dimensions of all the 
statues composing this groupe are colossal, and the marble 
of such chalky whiteness that it has the appearance of be- 
ing- new. 

Aniphion and Zethus, wfere twin sons of Jupiler, by 
Antiope the repudiated wife of Lycus, king of Thebes, 
who afterwards married Dirce. Antiope, becoming preg- 
nant by Jupiter, was suspected by Dirce, of improper 
intimacy with her husband, and was on that account 
cruelly persecuted. When Amphion and Zethus came 
to mature age, they remembered the unjust treatment of 
their mother, and to avenge it upon l.ycus and Dirce, be- 
seiged them in Thebes. The king tVll in battle, but 
Dirce being taken prisoner, was tied to the tail of a wild 
bull, and perished among the mountains. 

The sculptor has improved the story, by tying Dirce 
to the horns of the animal. This gronpe is frequently 
called the Tore. The bull is by many, supposed to be 
the best sculptured quadruped in the world. *' It was 
originally brought from Rhodes and is the work of Apol- 
lonius and Tauriscus. The whole group" was cut out of 
one piece of marble. It had become mutilated and was 
repaired by Giovanni Battista Bianchi." 

This delightful garden is smrounded by a palisade of 
iron ; carriages, or horses are never admitted into it, and 
the gates are shut every evening. The Chiaja and Via 
Vittoria, where carriages are driven, as upon the Marina 
at Palermo, are both so far from the garden that those 
who ride to show themselves, can neither see, nor be seen 

k2 



114 

by those who walk in the garden. Perhaps it is frora 
this circumstance, that the gay and fashionable people ia 
Naples are allowed to walk, without outraging the estab- 
lished laws and usages of the city. If a lady were seen 
walking at Palermo, in any of the streets, except in the 
Marina, it would be considered an indelible disgrace. 

The garden at Naples has been crowded every day 
since we arrived, but the equipages are not so numerous 
and splendid as at Palermo. 

We spent the evening at the theatre St. Carlos. The 
opera was a paraphrase of Shakespeare's Othello, and we 
were not a little surprised, as well as delighted, at meeting 
our old acquaintance, Desdemona, lago, and the Moore of 
Venice. The singing and the orchestra Vv'ere very fine, but 
the theatre is too large for a good effect of music ; from 
several circumstances, we judged the opera was not the 
exclusive resort of the beau mond, as at Palermo ; at 
least, that the standard of public tasle is a little different. 
The painted scenery^ and all the machinery of the stage 
are much better, than at any theatre we saw at Palermo : 
the dresses of the players more splendid, and evidently 
greater pains is taken to produce theatrical effect. We 
were constantly disturbed with noise. The dance called 
Cinderella was performed as an afterpiece, and the even- 
ing was closed by a perfect triumph, of scenic allusion 
and machinery. A fountain was so admirably represent- 
ed, that for several moments we supposed real water was 
used. The deception was produced with gilded paper 
moved in such a manner and under such an incidence of 
light, as to have the exact appearance of water. This 
scene terminated with a display of gas lights, which so 
astonished the spectators, that it was some time after th« 



115 

curtain dropped before the outcry of applause coinmenc- 
ed ; it then continued, a perpetual roar, until the mana- 
ger had made his appearance three times. 

Feb. 16. — The lake of Agnano is about five miles from 
Naples, on the west side of Mount Pausilypo. It is a lit- 
tle larger, and its banks higher than Avernus ; but it is 
a small muddy pool, which in America would not be 
dignified with the name of a lake. On the south side 
of this lake is a cluster of buildings in a ruinous state ; 
the baths of St. Gernianicus. The apartments arc 
filled with steam from the volcanic soil upon which the 
buildings are erected. The steam is nearly of the same 
temperature, and sulphurous odour, as that which rises 
from the Solfatara. The sulphurous exhalations in the 
neighborhood are destructive to vegetation. 

Not more than a stones throw, from the baths of 8t. 
Germanicus, on the east side of the lake, is the Grotto 
Del Cane, so celebrated on account of its deleterious gas. 
A small emaciated dog, whose mangy appearance and 
imavailing efforts to escape from his keeper, proved that 
he had been often thus tortured, was held in the mephitic 
air, until he was apparently dead. After being removed 
for two or three minutes, he became violently convulsed, 
and recovered. The grotto is a very small excavation ia 
the side of the hill, not more than twenty feet above the 
level of the lake ; the entrance is closed with a small 
wooden door which fastens with a lock. The cavern is 
not more than six feet in lensrth and four in heio-ht : the 
carbonic gas, being heavier than the atmospheric air, re- 
mains near the ground, or runs from the grotto like a 
spring of water. By placing a lighted flambeau in the 
gas, we could ascertain with perfect accuracy how high 



116 

it rose above the ground, as that part of the flame whick 
came in contact with it, was instantly extinguished. We 
also observed that the quantity remained nearly the same, 
and its surface defined, as that of a pool of water. 
We passed the lighted torch close to the ground, before 
the grotto, and found that a stream of the gas was flow- 
ing down towards the lake, but soon mixed with the at- 
mospheric air, as we could not trace it more than five 
or six feet. This curious grotto is in fact a fountain, or 
spring, of carbonic acid gas. 

Feb. 17. — At the house of an acquaintance, I had the 
good fortune last evening to meet Admiral Ferrier, an 
English gentleman, who is about to commence his jour- 
ney towards Rome, and we have made an arrangement 
to travel together.* As he had not seen Vesuvius, it was 
proposed to make an excursion for that purpose this 
morning. We took a cabriolet and arrived at Portici, a 
village at the foot of the mountain, before sunrise. Un- 
fortunately, the weather was cloudy, and we concluded t© 
relinquish visiting the mountain, aad spend the day at 
Portici, Herculaneum, and Pompeii. 

The village of Portici is built upon the field of lava 
which covers ancient Herculaneum. This city was des- 
troyed by the first recorded eruption of Vesuvius in the 
time of Vespasian, and the seventy-ninth year of the 
Christian aera. It is well known that the situation of 
this city was forgotten and lost, for more than fifteen hun- 
dred years, and was accidentall}'^ discovered in making a 
perforation through the superincumbent lava, for the pur- 
pose of finding water. The village of Portici was built 
before this discovery ; it is now a populous and beautiful 
city. Its distance from Naples is about six miles, from 



117 

the top of Vesuvius three miles, and from the bay of Na- 
ples three miles. The view of Naples, Pausilypo, and 
the bay, are indescribably fine from every part of Fortici, 
and a more dehghtful place of residence in every respect, 
cannot be imagined. The people do not even feel the 
least degree of apprehension in consequence of their near 
vicinity to Vesuvius, but consider it only as a grand and 
sublime object, which adds beauty and interest to their 
scenery. The ordinary eruptions of this mountain, do 
not endang-er the inhabitants of the villages and cities 
around its base, though the lava in 1810, flovrcd down 
to Torre del Greco, more distant I'rom the crater, and a 
few miles south of Portici. Its progress was so slow 
that the people had an)ple time to escape. The king's 
palace at Portici was erected before the discovery of 
Herculaneum ; in magnificence, and extent, it is not ex- 
ceeded by any edifice at Naples. It consists of four wings 
enclosing a spacious square or court, through which the 
road passes to Pompeii. The two arched gates are or- 
namented with columns and sculpture, and fornfi the prin- 
cipal decorations of two fronts of the palace. Arranged 
in a suit of apartments in this princely edifice, we saw a 
collection of statues, manuscripts, paintings, and other 
antiquities of Ilercalaneum. 

The paintings are all of that description called fresco, 
done in water colours upon plaister or stucco. In order 
to preserve them uninjured, it has been necessary to re- 
move the walls, where the plaister upon which they were 
traced could not be detached, and, unless broken, or chaf- 
ed in their removal, they are in astonishing preservation. 
The colours are strong, and the light and shade disposed^ 
as in modern paintings, but we noticed many faults in 



118 

the perspective, and what artists term foreshortemng". The 
execution seems not to have been much labored, and 
Mons. Bailey, a French gentleman who had spent con- 
siderable time at Portici, suggested that they were copies 
of good paintings, done in a coarse way, as rooms are 
frequently painted at the present time. 

One of the largest pictures of this valuable collectioH 
represents Theseus vanquishing the rainotaur of Crete. 
The picture is in the form of an arch, and was taken from 
one of the niches of the forum. Theseus is of gigantic 
size compared with the other figures. The monitaur is 
overthrown under the feet of Theseus, who holds him by 
one of his horns. Three young men placed at the side of 
the [ticture, seem to be viewing the combat. I could not 
assent to the justice of Mons. Bailey's remark, as applied 
to this and several other pictures, which seem to have 
been executed with great care and skill. 

In the apartments which contain the paintings, are a 
great number of statues of bronze and marble, small 
images of bronze, vases, lamps, lacrymatories, instru- 
ments of agriculture, and domestic utensils of all descrip- 
tions, which have been found at Herculaneum and Pom- 
peii, The pruning hook w'as nearly of the same size, and 
form, as those we saw in the hands of the vine dressers 
near Pausilypo, and we could hardiy distinguish the sculp- 
tors tools from those now in use. There is a saw, in per- 
fect preservation, but of course workmanship, as are all 
the iron utensils. 

An iron cuirass, a brazen helmit, and other pieces of 
armor, reminded us of the pursuits of men, who had been 
buried in oblivion near two thousand years. 



119 

In another apartment is a most sino:ular collection of 
eombustible articles which were found in a charred state, 
and admirably preserved. Among- these we noticed wheat, 
barley, beans, almonds, peaches, walnuts, apricots, figs, 
dates, &c. Many of these articles were perfectly pre- 
served, without the least change of shape or appearance 
of decay. There were also, small loaves of bread, pieces 
of cloth, and bunches of thread, equally well preserved. 

Upon a loaf of bread about nine inches in diameter, we 
observed several letters and words, distinctly inipressed. 
I did not copy them at the moment, but I find by turning* 
to La Lande, the words and initials as follow. 
«* Seligo C. Glanii E. Cicere/* 

The various remains which have been found at Pom- 
peii do not sfiow the effect of heat. In this museum are 
the skull and bones of an arm from that city, not only 
entire, but white and strong. 



LETTER XVIII. 

Herculaneiim continued — Pompeii— ^Vesuvivs, 

After spending several hours in the galleries of Portici, 
we descended into the city from which most of its trea- 
sures have been recoverd. The entrance to Herculaneum 
is but a few yards from the Palace. The stairway leading 
to the ancient theatre has be^n blasted through compact 
strata of lava, about forty feet in depth, and as the excava- 
tion is oblique, we walked perhaps sixty feet upon stairs 
which have b«en blasted through the solid rock. 

A guide went before us with a lighted flambeau, and in 
K single moment, we opened our eyes upon objects, fur- 



120 

saiture and human habitations, which had been lost in 
©bUvion more than sixteen hundred years. 

In the silence, the obscurity and solitude, we seemed to 
have intruded ourselves among the spirits of forgotten 
dead, and we paused in breathless expectation ! Might 
not the grave disclose some phantom to welcome and re- 
c«ve us, or to chase us, from the threshold of the tomb, 
where no living soul may enter ! 

The imperfect light just enabled us to discover the ex- 
tent of the apartment in which we stood. We had passed 
the vestibule of the amphitheatre to the proscenium or 
stage before the orchestra. The seats for musicians and 
the semicircular rows for spectators, rising one behind 
another, were nearly entire. But how silent and dark ! 
The echo of our own steps seemed an unhallowed sound 
interrupting the sacred repose of the dead ! Where are 
now the thousands and tens of thousands who have spent 
their nights of rejoicing within these walls ! The God of 
nature has laid the foundations of their everlasting monu- 
ment, to which the pilgrim of the world may repair, to 
wonder and adore forever ! 

The lava, which overwhelmed Herculaneum, did not 
throw down and prostrate the edifices which, like the am- 
phitheatre, were built with hewn stone. This theatre was 
ornamented with a great number of statues of bronze and 
marble, which were all found entire, and have been remov- 
ed either to the museum of Portici, to the Studio, or other 
cities of Italy. We regretted extremely that we could not 
have seen these antiquities in their original places 
whence they have been sacrilegiously torn away. The 
stone employed in the walls of the amphitheatre was the 
fine marble of Paros, and the plan of the building so per- 



121 

feet that Palladio made it a model for the theatre at 
Venice. 

The diameter of the semicircle of this buildin«^, inclml- 
ing- the corridor, is 234 feet, the length of the proscenium 
130 feet ; the number of ranges, or rows of seats, 21. 
It is said to be large enough to contain six thousand per- 
sons. 

The statues and sculptured marble of various kinds, 
imbedded in lava, if removed with great care were found 
to be uninjured. 

The Forum is the largest edifice which has been un- 
covered, though now, on account of the rubbish thrown 
into it, inaccessible to the traveller. It is a square 
building surrounded by a perystile or portico, ornamented 
with forty-two columns, and paved with marble. The 
portico is composed of five arcades, each ornamented 
with statues. Two noble equestrian statues from this 
building, are now at the Studio. The Forum is joined 
by a common portico to two Temples of smaller size, 
which are also ornamented with columns, and their vaults 
painted in fresco. 

Another building, concealed from our view by the rub- 
bish, is a tomb near the Forum of about the same size 
as the tomb of Virgil. We presume from the description, 
it is similar in design, and probably of the same pe- 
riod. It is ornamented on the outside with columns, 
but its interior is an apartment formed with brick 
twelve feet by nine, surrounded by niches in which were 
placed cinerary urns, that were found standing in their 
places. 

The floors of many of the temples and common dwell- 
ings were covered with mosaic or tessellated pavemeni. 

L 



1 9'> 

This beautiful work was made with small peiees of marble 
of various colours, so placed as to present a smooth pol- 
ished surface, upon which were traced, by means of the 
arrangement of the coloured pieces, pictures of animals, 
arabesques and inscriptions. 

In the windows, sheets of mica, and thin plates of trans- 
parent gypsum were used instead of glass. We under- 
stand that some fine window glass, and broken goblets, 
were found at Herculaneum, but the pieces of this de- 
scription deposited in the museum at Portici, escaped 
our notice. 

At present the excavations are discontinued ; the rea- 
son assigned, is the danger of undermining the palace 
of Portici. Probably this is only an apology for a want 
of funds or curiosity, as the lava is so compact, that it 
is difficult to imagine the least danger of disturbing the 
foundation of the palace. The king is accused of a great 
want of curiosity and public spirit in things of this kind. 
Another very substantial reason assigned for discontinu- 
ing the excavations, is the fear of cheapening what has 
been already recovered, by glutting the public curiosity 
with too many similar articles. 

At the same time that Herculaneum was destroyed, 
Pompeii, situated on the opposite side of Vesuvius, was 
covered with ashes, earth and cinders. It was buried to 
such a depth, that like Herculaneum, its site was forgotten 
for ages. It does not appear that the matter which con- 
cealed this city for so many centuries was either heated, 
or that it fell in such a rapid manner as to destroy the in- 
habitants. The earth was probably thrown from the cra- 
ter of Vesuvius by the volcanic explosion, which when 
it ejected lava, forced with it, the superincumbent strata 



123 

of earth. The light sand, small pebbles and scoria, 
were projected so high in the air, as to fall like a shower 
upon Pompeii. That a great part of the inhabitants es- 
caped seems evident from the fact, that so few human 
remains have been discovered, and no small articles of 
any considerable value. Yet that many perished seems 
equally evident, since about sixty skeletons have already 
been found. Pliny the naturahst perished during this 
eruption a little distance from Pompeii ; his body was 
found three days after he had left Stabia^, about three miles 
distant, only in part covered with sand and ashes. 

We had walked half a mile along a lonely road, and 
entered a vineyard on the site of Pompeii. It is situated 
near the foot of the mountain, upon a piece of ground 
which has a gentle descent to the south, and no building 
or village near, except the Auberge, half a mile distant, 
where we had left our carriage ; within twenty or thirty 
rods we observed a long bank of earth, apparently thrown 
out of a ditch or canal, which on our approach, proved to 
be a street extending north and south in a straight line 
about half a mile. Having followed this excavation to its 
northern termination, we entered the gate of the city. The 
street before us was narrow, not exceeding eighteen ^ttt, 
and paved with large blocks of lava, of irregular shape, 
but so fitted together as to present an tven surface. On 
this pavement we observed the marks of carriage Avheels 
which had worn considerable ruts, not more than four ftet 
asunder, and left a stain of iron upon the stones. On 
each side were raised walks or parapets, for foot passen- 
gers, three feet wide, and twelve inches above the level of 
the street, leaving the space for carriages exactly twelve 
(vat. Near the 2:ate we observed on eadi side of the way. 



124 

a number of plain sepulchral monuments, but one large? 
than the rest, and of a different construction, called the 
tomb of the gladiators. It is nearly of a square form, 
and placed a little higher than the level of the pavement 
on the west side of the street. Its front is ornamented 
with well executed baso relievos, representing a combat. 
The earth has been removed from around this beautiful 
building without defacing its delicate sculpture, which 
has been as perfectly preserved as it could possibly have 
been in the securest cabinet. The marks of the chissel 
appear upon it, distinct, and recent, as if it had been 
very lately sculptured. We now crossed the street and 
entered a house, the front of which was almost entire, it 
consists of several small square apartments, which open 
outward into a court or portico, where were the re<» 
mains of a fountain. The rooms were aboutlen fqet by 
twelve, and the court perhaps twelve feet square. There 
were no windows toward the street, and the height of the 
building fourteen or at most, eighteen feet. The walls are 
painted, and ornamented with medalions and baso relievos 
in stucco ; all the smooth surfaces of the walls are painted 
light red or green, which serves as a ground upon which 
small figures are painted, representing birds, animals, 
flowers, fruits, &c. The pavement is a beautiful mosaic 
of polished marble, in pieces about the eighth of an inch 
square, and the colours so disposed as to represent figures 
of animals, urns, and arabesques. The houses were all 
built with small bricks, but plaistered and painted boih 
inside and out.; nearly of the same height; and none larger 
than that we first examined. In a building nearly oppo» 
site to the first we entered, we observed the greatest de- 
viation from the common plan of the dwelling-houses* 



125 

This had a cellar, or basement s(or>^ which opened info 
a garden. In the cellar we saw a long row of earthen 
jars, of a globular form, standing in the places where they 
were found. They are supposed to have contained wine. 

As we continued our walk toward the centre of the 
city we examined a building which is called a shop, from 
the paintings in front indicating it, as well as some glasses 
and measures having been found when it was uncovered. 
Upon a ledge of brick which probably served as a coun- 
ter, stands an ancient hand mill for grinding wheat. It 
consists of two stones, convex on one side, and concave on 
the other. The upper stone is so concave above, that it 
served as a hopper, and is perforated in the cetitre. The 
friction occasioned by giving the upper stone a rotatory 
motion, upon the rough face of the under one, produced 
the flour, as in mills of modern construction. The whole 
apparatus is about four and an half feet in circumference. 

Several temples have been uncovered which contained 
statues and inscriptions, as well as a great variety of 
sculptured marble and utensils, which have been removed 
to Portici and Naples, but their principal ornaments were 
of stucco, and their interior merely lined with polished 
slabs of marble. The columns were principally brick 
covered with plaister, and many are yet standing on their 
pedestals. The largest of the temples was dedicated to 
Isis. The outer walls are entire, and the marble linings 
remain in many places uneifaced. The length of this 
temple is ninety feet, its width sixty ; the columns arc 
doric, nine and a half feet in height, with marble capitals. 
We saw at Portici statues of Bacchus, VenuS; and Priapus, 
taken from the niches of this temple. 
l2 



126 

As far as the excavations have been extended the dweF-- 
ling- houses are found to be very similar to the one above 
described, and the streets are equally narrovF. 

After leaving the street by which we entered, and turn- 
ing at right angles from it, towards the centre of the an- 
cient city, we came to the forum which has lately been 
uncovered. It was surrounded by columns of marble and 
stucco about fourteen feet in height, some of which now 
remain upon their pedestals. On the most elevated side, 
and terminating the area of the forum to the north, stood 
a building ornamented with a portico. We judged that 
the design of this building and the forum, of which it 
formed a part, must have been singularly elegant. Con- 
tinuing our walk through this part of the excavations, we 
saw two small amphitheatres, called the tragic and 
comic ; a temple of ^sculapius, and an amphitheatre 
for games and combats. The last is nearly entire, and as 
it stood in the highest part of the city, was barely covered 
with earth. It is large enough to contain fifteen thousand 
spectators. The arena is of an oval form, and its largest 
diameter one hundred and fifty feet. 

The walls of the temples and theatres were all of brick, 
and the marble ornaments consisted of thin slabs, and lin- 
ings. In the decorations and general design of the city^ 
good taste and skill both in sculpture and architecture are 
evident ; we saw no exceptions to this remark, unless the 
manner of painting the interior of walls was such. Pom- 
peii was evidently a city of less wealth than Herculaneum. 

Feb. 18.— The weather being very fine we started fcrPor- 
lici at six o'clock, for the purpose of ascending Vesuvius. 
Twenty or thirty men crowded around us as soon as we 
dismissed our cabriolet, offering horses, donkies, and 



127 

guides, for the mountain. As no one had arrived before 
us, we were able to make a good selection of horses, and 
immediately commenced the ascent. From Portici to 
the foot of the steep cone of Vesuvius where we left our 
horses, is about three miles. The road is neither steep 
nor difficult, but winds through a volcanic tract, which in 
many places is susceptible of high cultivation. Where 
the fields of lava are of recent date, they are uniformly 
barren. We left our horses at an hermitage, and com- 
menced the ascent of the mountain, to the summit of 
which is just a mile. This we found tedious and diffi« 
cult, but were every moment compensated for our toil, by 
the consciousness of approaching nearer and nearer, to 
the great object of our curiosity ; and by the extensive 
views of the surrounding country, expanding and varying 
with our ascent. For forty or fifty rods, our feet sank 
deep into ihe loese cinders, which rendered our progress 
extremely slow and laborious. We then got upon a ridge 
of solid lava continuing in a direct line to the summit ; 
upon this we climbed quite to the top, and rested 
on the side of the large crater which forms the summit of 
the mountain. In its ordinary state there is a small cone 
rising in the centre of the large crater, but at present 
two, which are constantly throwing up smoke and lava. 
The large crater includes an area of five or six acres. 
The bases of the two small cones are in contact. They 
are from one hundred and fifty, to two hundred feet in 
height, and five hundred in circumference. 

From one, a thick smoke constantly ascends, but in- 
creases at intervals with an explosion like a discharge of 
cannon, accompanied by an emission of smoke and lava. 
In the other crater there is less smoke, but a louder ex- 



128 

plosion and a greater quantity of fused matter thrown up 
at every eruption. At the base of this cone is a fissure 
from which lava is constantly flowing, but it creeps along 
so slowly that we could but just discover its motion. The 
surface of this mass is so nearly cooled that we could stand 
upon it in safety. We ascended to the brink of the other 
crater, and looked for a moment into the horrible abyss ; 
but could remain only a moment, as it wa« necessary to 
reach the bottom of the cone before the next explosion. 
When this had passed, and the lava projected into the aif 
had fallen like a shower around us, all was again quiet. 
"Should we ascend a second time to the appalling 
brink ?" After some hesitation Admiral Ferrier declined, 
and our guide, willing to avoid the toil of running up the 
steep ascent, and retreating so hastily over the loose scoria, 
pretended that the attempt was hazardous. 

The explosions take place at intervals of about five 
minutes. After assuring myself that they were nearly 
regular as to time, I was satisfied there was no danger, 
and went again and again to the brink of the crater. If 
I reached this spot soon after an explosion, the dense 
smoke which fills the cavern was so agitated and broken, 
that I could see the boiling lake of fire two or three hun- 
dred feet below me, extending in all directions. 

The inside of the crater is shaped like an hollow cone, 
and grows wider as it descends. Though the circumfer- 
ence of its mouth is not more than two hundred feet, the 
surface of the red hot lava below is three or four times 
as large, and extended under the spot where I stood. 
There is a kind of shelf formed by the lava on the inside 
of the mouth of the crater which I perceived would aflford 
«n excellent view, if it were strong enough to bear roj 



129 

weight. To ascertain whether it was safe to stand upon 
it, I descended to the bottom of the cone and took a large 
block of lava, and after the next explosion, hastened up, 
and threw it with considerable force upon the shelf before 
mentioned. It proved quite firm, and I directly trusted 
myself upon it, within a few inches of the crater : I held 
with one hand by a crag of lava, and could stoop over, so 
as to look down upon the v*'onders, and horrors of this 
dreadful abyss. As the smoke was occasionally moved 
by the gasses ascending from the cavern, the lava became 
visible. Sometimes I could see only a small part shining 
with a dark lurid tlame, half obscured by the vapor; again 
1 had a momentary view of a vast uneven surface which 
seemed in some places perfectly fused, and in others cov- 
ered with black scoria, which only allowed a glimmer of 
light to pass through it. I could stand here a minute 
and an half, possibly two minutes, when the noise of the 
crater would increase with a loud hissing, like that pro- 
duced by steam escaping through the valves of an engine^ 
warning me that an explosion was about to take place. 
Each explosion was attended with a deafening sound,, 
though unlike a report of cannon, musquetry, or any 
thing else I ever heard ; and threw into the air an 
immense quantity of lava, which fell back into the cavern, 
and around its mouth. Being projected many hundred 
feet into the air in a stale of fusion, the lava is divided 
into innumerable fragments, and usually falls to the 
ground in small pieces, so much cooled as to be black. 
Some fragments however, are very large, and so hot as to 
spread over the scoria upon which it falls. 1 presume 
some of the largest masses of this kind which fell near 
the mouth of the crater, would weigh two ov three tons. 



130 

When standing near the base of the cone this lava 
frequently fell near us, so much fused, that we could in- 
dent it with our sticks. In the deep fissures under our 
feet we could see the red hot lava, and a stick might be 
thrust down, in many places where it was entirely safe to 
walk, which when withdrawn would be found smoking", or 
burned to a coal. The same phenomena were repeated 
after every explosion, but a great quantity of smoke or 
steam was constantly escaping with the most appalling and. 
unnatural sound. Unnatural, because unlike the roar of 
winds and waters, or any other sounds which from our 
being accustomed to them, have lost their terrors. The 
explosions are constantly varying in force, in duration, 
and in the quantity of matter which they project from the 
crater. The explosions are doubtless caused by the 
bursting of the half congealed surface of the lava. Per- 
haps the lava has an action in itself depending upon its heat, 
like melted metal in a crucible ; or that in consequence 
of its approach to the surface, and the consequent dimi- 
nution of pressure, gasses become extricated, which cause 
% boiling motion, and break through its hardened surface. 
The difference of sound, as well as the quantity of 
matter ejected, may be explained by supposing the con- 
gealed surface to burst in different places. Sometimes 
nearly the whole force of the explosion is expended upon 
the sides of the cavern, and no lava is thrown cut ; when 
again, the eruption is perpendicular to the opening, 
the lava is thrown to an immense height, and the sound 
of course differs from the last. This succession of re- 
ports or explosions has been noticed in all volcanos, but 
I have never seen it satisfactorily explained ; our repeat- 
ed observation of the varieties of sound, as well as all the. 



131 

appearances of the cavern, convince us that it must de- 
pend upon the above causes. 

The light emitted by the lava is of the same dark, red 
and intense appearance, as was observed at Strom bolo, and 
is the effect of heat alone, not of destructive combustion. 
The aspect of every thing around the crater ; the black 
and barren waste filled only with volcanic productions, 
and obscured with clouds of sulphurus smoke, and the 
constant unearthly sound of the volcano, reminded us of 
Milton's description of chaos. 

" The womb of nature and perhaps her grave." 

Is it not probable, that a state of fusion was the original 
and chaotic condition of matter ? How can we more satis- 
factorily explain the origin, and phenomena of volcanos 
than by adopting the theory of those who believe the cen- 
tral regions of the earth still in that state ? The most 
careless view of volcanic eruptions must convince any one 
that their heat is not produced by ordinary combustion. 
Can any one believe the decomposition of iron pyrites 
through the agency of water, has supplied the volcanos 
with caloric from the beginning of the world ? A great 
part of Italy, Sicily and all the Lipari islands are well 
known to be of volcanic origfin. The active volcanos 
have been perpetually adding mountain after mountain to 
these countries, since the remotest period of history. Can 
a limited chemical process like the disintegration of py- 
rites have produced such vast and durable effects ? Leib^ 
nitz, Des Cartes and Bvffon, supposing the central re- 
gions of the earth in a state of fusion, get along with vol- 
canos much better. According to the theories of these writ- 
ers, volcanos are mere breathing holes, for the central fire, 
which constitutes an essential part of our globe, as much 



132 

as the rocTc strata of which its surface is formed ; and why 
may we not suppose it ; since matter may have been cre- 
ated of one degree of temperature as well as another ? Why 
may we not extend the theory farther, and suppose that th-e 
whole surface of the earth, with the strata of rocks and 
imbedded minerals have been formed by the gradual de- 
composition of lava, through the agency of water, at- 
mospheric air, changes of temperature, electricity, chemi^- 
cal affinity, and the lapse of time ? The first change ob- 
served in lava is its conversion into soil. The lava of 
1649, at Catania, supports in many places a luxurient 
vegetation. It is not improbable that this soil, if acted 
upon by chemical agents of requisite power, on a large 
scale, would be found to contain the elements, of the 
earths or stones, and many, perhaps all, the metals. 
The Lipari islands at this time produce all the fruits 
and plants, natural to the climate, in the greatest abun- 
dance. The volcanic character of the soil of those islands, 
and of the countries in the vicinity of Etna ; or those 
peculiarities of colour and external appearance which 
to the naturalist indicate its origin, become more and 
more indistinct in proportion to the age of the specimen 
examined. Multiply the age of any given specimen, and 
we may easily imagine that its distinctive characters may 
foe entirely lost. At some remote period when the earth 
was in the chaotic state alluded to in scripture, the water 
in the form of steam, may have constituted the greatest 
part of its atmosphere. At length from the gradual cool- 
ing of the surface it became condensed but at a tempera- 
ture little below that which changes water to steam. As 
the earth progressively becomes cooler, the high degree 
of heat, would yet allow the water to hold many sub- 



133 

stances iu solution, which are now precipitated from it. 
Tbe first regular deposit from the water may have been 
the stratum of rocks called primitive. Afterwards some 
violent convulsion of the earth broke up this stratum. In 
consequence of its being thin, compared with the crust of 
the earth, after the subsequent strata were formed, its an- 
gles of inclination to the horizon are more acute, than the 
rocks of later formation. After the first revolution a period 
of rest ensued; another stratum was quietly deposited, the 
water in the mean time covering the whole face of the earth. 
Again earthquakes and volcanos broke up this stratum, 
but as it rested upon the last, both together formed a 
thicker and stronger crust, which did not so easily yield 
to the force which disturbed it ; accordingly the second 
stratum is not so steep, and its angles of inclination are less 
acute than the first, the third less than the second, and so 
on in regular order to the last, or alluvial formations. This 
stratum has been disturbed, and you know in every part 
of the world occasionally deviates from a horizontal posi- 
tion. May not this indicate the era of the deluge of 
Noah ? and may not the Mosaic account of the creation 
be descriptive of one of these great revolutions, by which 
the earth was changed from a chaotic to a habitable state ? 
You know with how much ingenuity speculations of this 
kind have been latety reconciled with the account of the 
formation of the earth given in scripture. 

This theory helps us to explain a few of the phenomena 
T)f volcanos, but like other dreams and hypotheses on 
subjects of which we are ignorant, leaves us many times 
in doubt and uncertainty. After this long episode upon 
** the cosmogony of the creation of the world," we must 
hasten back withoiit attempting to notice the broad and 

M 



134 

ifertile country which extended below us, as we passed 
the brim of the great crater, and commenced our de- 
scent towards Naples. We were not more than twenty 
minutes in reaching the hermitage, at the foot of the bare 
cone, from which it had taken us more than an hour to 
cHmb to the summit. The height of this cone is 1230 
feet, the whole altitude of the mountain above the level of 
the sea 3700. The scoria is so soft and deep upon this 
part of the mountain that we sank into it, above our 
knees; but we half ran, half slid, along the steep descent 
with great rapidity, and perfect safety. At the foot of 
the cone we met a party of English gentlemen and ladies 
going up to enjoy an evening view of the volcano. We 
arrived at Naples a little after sunset and found the 
principal street illuminated. It is the last day of the car- 
nival, and there has been an universal masquerade. We 
understand the streets have been crowded all day, and 
we are assured that we have lost a great deal, by being 
absent from the splendid fete. 



LETTER XIX. 

A morning at the Studio — Preparations/or a jourher/ 
to Rome — First day^s journey — -Fond i— Terr acina'- 
Pontine marshes — Valletri. 

Feb. 20. — We spent the morning at the Studio, and 
felt a new interest in examining every thing from Hercu- 
laneum and Pompeii, since we had seen those remarkable 
ruins. The statues from Pompeii are not as well exe- 
cuted as those from Herculaneum, though none of the lat- 
ter are equal to the great master pieces of Grecian sculp- 

■ I 



\i 



135 

tare, sucli as the Farnesian Hercules, the Venus of the 
Bath, and several other statues in this immense collec- 
tion. One of the statues from Pompeii is a Jupiter, 
i which seems to have been ancient when that city was de- 
tstroyed. We observe in most of the Grecian statues 
^a peculiar simplicity of design, in which respect this im- 
age of Jupiter is defective. Perhaps it was sculptured 
at a period more remote, than that, when the arts were 
most successfully cultivated at Athens, and it may have 
been an object of worship long before the christian 
era. Possibly it was a thousand years old when Pom- 
peii was buried. Add to this one thousand seven hun- 
dred and forty-nine years, the time elapsed since the 
destruction of that city, and we have a duration of two 
thousand seven hundred and forty-nine years. How forci-r 
bly do such objects carry back the imagination to remote 
ages ! The beholder views in this statue, a land mark 
half way between the present moment and the period of 
the creation of man. It is a record of the proficiency in 
art, and of the religious opinions of the age in which it 
was produced. It shows that the men of that period had 
some ideas, however erroneous, of a supreme being, the 
immortality of the soul, and the necessity of worship. The 
opinions of ancient idolators, have a sufficient resemblance 
to the revelations of scripture to lead us to the conclusion, 
that the Heathen nations must have derived their ideas of 
futurity from the same original source, and that they were 
transmitted by tradition. It requires no effort of the im- 
agination to suppose that oral tradition may have de- 
scended from Noah, or from Adam, to all the families of 
the earth. That there is a God, that the spirit of man is 
immortal, and destined to a future state of rewards and 

I 



136 

punishments ; are probably facts, not self evident to ou^ 
feeble understandings, but were revealed to our fi^rst par- 
ents, and have descended by oral tradition to all the fami- 
lies of mankind. The idolatry of the ancients furnishes, 
perhaps, one of the strongest collateral evidences of the 
truth and antiquity of the bible. 

The clearness of revelation, as transmitted by tradition, 
has been rendered obscure and discrepant, by the fabri- 
cations and amplifications of profane writers. The earlir- 
est heathen poets seem to have had some distinct ideas of 
the future ileslinies of man ; and tlie most ancient writ- 
ers approach nearest to the sublime conceptions of scrip- 
ture. To the opinions imputed to Orpheus, this remark 
is peculiarly applicable ; but Homer, Hesiod, and subse- 
quent peels, degraded these ideas to the mere machine-^ 
ry of song. 

The American savages believe that the Great Spirit is 
the creator of heaven and earth. Possibly they were not 
detached from the other families of mankind before the 
revelation of a redeemer had reached the heart of our lost 
race. How else could they have conceived the use of sa- 
crifice ? 

Feb. 21. — The carnival closed with the festival mention- 
ed on the ISth. To the greatest festivities, the long faces 
of fasting and lent have succeeded : the masques are no 
longer patrolling the streets ; but a comparative stillness 
and quiet, reign in every part of the city. As we walk- 
ed to day through most of the principal streets, we were 
forcibly struck with the sudden and remarkable change. 
The bells are all silent. Even the dances of this dancing 
people are suspended ; and the grand operas of St. Carlos 
are exchanged for the serious oratorio. 



137 

Though we have had little intercourse with the Neapoli- 
tans, we have considered them more agreeable when mer- 
ry, than when dull ; and their late change of manners, 
leaves us something less to regret, in our departure from 
the city. So at least we endeavor to persuade ourselves, 
since the plan of our journey renders it necessary for us 
to proceed. 

Preparatory to leaving Naples we have procured the 
necessary signatures to our passports, and made arrange- 
ments with a VetturinOy the owner of a heavy carriage, 
to transport us to Rome. Our voiture is (o be drawn by 
four mules; and the amount of our treaty with the drivrr 
is, that the grave animals shall walk, all the way to Home. 
This we are told is the usual manner of travelling in Italy, 
Our party is to consist of two Italian ladies, a Neapolitan 
military officer, the Admiral and myself. The places where 
we are to dine every day, and sleep every night, are mat- 
ters of written stipulation with the owner of the carria«Te. 
The Vetturino is to pay for our dinners and beds, and is 
to receive from us for the whole journey, including forage 
for mules and all incidental expenses, eleven dollars each. 

On the road to Rome, Feb, 24. 
Every necessary preparation having been previously 
made, we were called from our beds at 4 o'clock yester- 
day morning, to join our Italian companions and com- 
mence our journey towards Rome. The weather was so 
cool that we found it necessary to close all the windows 
of the carriage. Admiral Ferrier is a mortal enemy to con- 
fined air, but on this occasion his politeness to the stran- 
gers induced him not to dissent from the general wish. 
All being arranged the Vetturino gave his mules the whip, 
and they walked on, at the grave pace for which those 

m2 



13^ 

animals are so justly eelebrated. The motion raised a 
dust within the carriage, which getting into the face of 
the Admiral caused a violent fit of sneezing. — *' Viva /" 
exclaimed the two Italian ladies and tlie Neapolitan gen- 
tleman, *' je vous i^emercie,^* said the Admiral, thank- 
ing them in French for their Italian civility. The Admi- 
ral's thrilling sneeze was the first interruption to the si- 
lence which ensued after we entered the carriage. 

Whether it was from the effects of the confined air, or 
from the dust I cannot tell, but the young lady began also 
to sneeze, " FzVa/" exclaimed the ready Admiral, " his 
lore soon learned." " Jo m ringrazio^'*^ replied the Itali- 
an lady.* As soon as the day dawned, we found ourselves 
in a delightful and highly cultivated country, with exten- 
sive vineyards on each side of the road. In consequence 
of a late rain, there was considerable mud, and we observ- 
ed a little ice in the water by the side of the way. We 
travelled imtil evening through a well cultivated country 
but apparently not very populous. There are few single 
houses upon farms and plantations, as in America ; but 
the population is principally confined to the villag-es, which 
consist of miserable cabins, usually without floors ; but 
in the smallest villages the streets are paved. 

The road is frequently upon the Appian way, but does 
not often continue upon it for a great distance. The 
modern road does not follow the Appian when it as- 
cends steep places, nor is it sufficiently wide for a com- 

* When any one sneezes it is an universal custom in Italy 
for the persons present to exclaim. Viva > or Salute ! The sneez- 
ing party acknowledges this salutation by replying, io xi rin- 
graziOi I thank you, or some similar expression. 



139 

modious road. It is paved witli large irregular shaped 
stones like the streets of Pompeii, and is in many places 
quite entire. 

We find our slow vehicle a commodious and good one, 
and our driver very faithful and attentive. Our com- 
panions can neither speak French or English, and our small 
stock of Italian words has not enabled us to keep up a 
very lively conversation ; though the ladies, anxious to 
communicate information, and very patient of the toil of 
teaching their language, have exerted themselves to pre- 
vent the silence which so naturally occurs when persons 
of different tongues are jostled together. 

The Vetturino takes it upon him to provide chambers 
for us and make bargains about our dinners, as if we were 
entitled to no voice at all in the matter. The Admiral 
assures me that this is the style of travelling in Italy, and 
therefore we must not complain though our fare may not 
be of the best kind. We arrived at Mola in the evening, 
but too late to see any thing around us ; while we wait 
for the Vetturino's supper, I have begged the use of a very 
coarse table to make the first memorandum of our journey. 

Feb. 25. — We left Mola de Gaeta at 4, and reach- 
ed Fondi at 12 o'clock, where we stopped for refresh- 
ments, and for the first time ate with our Italian compan- 
ions. Before our arrival at Fondi we travelled three 
or four leagues through a rough and barren country, 
which is said to be much infested by banditti. We were 
attended by two gens d'arms, but had heretofore consider- 
ed ourselves sufficiently protected by one. Indeed our 
guards had been such miserable and needy looking men, 
that we apprehended more annoyance from their begging 
than from robbers. We passed on without discovering 



140 

any indication of danger or evidence that the road 
had been the scene of robberies, except in one instance, 
where the body of a wretch lately executed was suspend- 
ed upon a gibbet. The road winds among rocks, 
ravines, and precipices, which afford places of conceal- 
ment, and easy defence, suited to the habits of freeboot- 
ers. Having- passed this barren country, the extensive 
and fertile plain in which Fondi is situated suddenly ex- 
panded before us, and the city from this elevation ap- 
peared regular and beautiful. It is surrounded by a wall, 
nearly entire. On entering the gates, we found the build- 
ings principally situated on two sides of one street along 
the Appian way, nearly a mile in length, with a number of 
small and filthy lanes intersecting it at right angles. As 
we walked in advance of our slow vehicle, we were assailed 
by the most wretched and importunate crowd of beggars 
that in this land of beggars I have yet seen. After our 
short repast, the Admiral and myself spent an hour in 
viewing the streets and edifices of Fondi. It contains 
12,000 inhabitants. Notwithstanding it is situated in a 
rich valley, and delightful climate, we saw nothing indi- 
cative of prosperity ; but the streets filled with filth, and 
thronged with beggars, the houses in ruins and the chil- 
dren in rags. The beggars followed us as we walked 
along the Appian way, which is the principal street, in 
such numbers, that we had the curiosity to count them. 
At one time we were surrounded by fifty of these miser- 
able wretches ! 

In this city, which ought to be full of wealth, and the 
abode of elegance, refinement, and happiness, we did not 
see a single pleasing object. 



Ill 

The heights which border the plaiu of Fondi extend 
towards the sea, and form a projecting^ promontory, 
near the gate Porto Epitaffio, which bounds the 
NeapoHtan dominions. We passed this gate at sun set ; 
and, after having our passports examined, entered the 
patrimony of St. Peter. It was twihght when we arrived 
at Terracina, where we were to lodge ; and we could only 
discern obscurely the bold cliffs which overhang this 
village, and the distant expanse of the sea just vanishing 
in darkness. 

The inn where we have arrived is a large estab- 
lishment, the property of his Holiness. ^Ve had been 
but a few moments in our chambers when we were 
called to our dinner, and found a company of eight 
or ten persons who, like ourselves, had stopped for the 
night, either bound towards Rome or Naples. Conver- 
sation directly commenced around the table, without any 
of that reserve which is usual in mixed companies in 
America, and England. A Roman gentleman present, 
returning from Naples, spoke of that city and its delight- 
ful environs, in terms of the highest commendation. lie 
knew no language sufficiently glowing to do justice to its 
natural advantages. *' Yet," said he, " it is an abode 
worthy of gods, inhabited by devils." Our NeapoHtan 
friend and companion had taken no part in the coversa- 
tion, but now rose from the table, and after regarding the 
stranger for a moment with a stern and menacing as- 
pect, returned his broad reflection upon the Neapolitans 
with a demand of retraction, or a challenge to meet him 
in mortal combat. The Roman seemed for a moment 
confounded ; but soon recollected himself and replied to 
his threats with irony and disdain. The dispute grew 



142 

warm and load, on both sides. The company at length 
interposed, and the enraged couple were safely bestowed 
in separate chambers. Our companion retired to rest, 
threatening vengeance if his antagonist should have the 
spirit to accept his challenge. 

Feb. 2G. — We commenced our journey very early this 
morning. Whether our Neapolitan companion or the Ro- 
man first departed from the inn of Terracina, is with 
us a matter of profound uncertainty and doubt. One 
thing however is certain, we have not before commenced 
our journey so early. Signor Rizzio assures us that he 
enquired for the discourteous Roman, and found he had 
ieft the inn an hour before us. 

At dawn we found ourselves enveloped in the fogs and 
mists of the Pontine marshes. The road is straight and 
excellent, though the country around us seemed hardly 
above the level of the water, and we frequently passed 
extensive morasses where the road was raised like a 
causeway. These marshes have been lately much im- 
proved, and the canal which has been constructed for the 
purpose of draining them, is near the road. The water 
runs in this canal with considerable rapidity. Upon the 
grounds most eSectually drained, we observed large herds 
of cattle, horses and swine. 

The horses appeared to be rather small, but the cattle 
as fine as I ever saw. The swine are all black, and in 
immense herds. They seem to be feeding upon grounds 
which are too soft and marshy for heavier animals. The 
extensive tracts which are too low for swine, are covered 
with innumerable flocks of birds. Ducks, geese, teviots, 
gulls, hawks, and other birds, actually darken the ground 
for miles. These countless swarms, ace birds of passage 



143 

which have migrated from northern regions and am 
spending the winter in this delightful climate ; they will 
return with the spring to the lakes of Russia, or the 
wilds of Lapland : or journey with the seasons over the 
boundless circuit of the globe. 

In the centre of th« marshes is a tolerable post bouse 
where we stopped for retreshment. This estabHshment 
is supported by the government. Were it otherwise, the 
inhabitants would be likely to forsake it, during the sickly 
months : but they are tempted by the reward they receive, 
to remain in this lonely situation at the hazard of their 
lives. The disease called Malaria, a malignant intermit- 
tent fever, is produced in all parts of Italy by miasmatic 
exhalations ; but is particularly frequent and fatal in 
the vicinity of the Pontine marshes. I am informed that 
persons who sleep during the night in the open air, or 
who in any way expose themselves to the heavy dews 
which follow the clear days of summer, are most likely to 
contract this disease. But a whole faraliy has passed the 
summer at this post house, without sickness ; while the 
traveller once benighted upon the dreary waste around 
them, would hardly ever escape the fatal malady. In this 
mild climate laborers frequently sleep in the open air 
during the night, but never without the greatest danger 
of contracting this fever. 

We arrived at Valletri, the capital of the ancient Volsci, 
a little beiore sun set ; were careful to secure lodgings ; and 
then made a short excursion to view the city. It is situ- 
ated on the top ofa hill, which it surrounds and covers; and 
from its elevated situation and the wideness of its streets, 
possesses a degree of neatness unusual in the cities of Italy. 
In almost every city and village, we observed among the 



144 

people some peculiarities of dress. Here the women wear 
stays, red vests, red stockings, and their hair turned back 
and fastened with a hollow silver pin about four or live 
inches in length. They are taller, better formed, and 
have fairer complexions than the Neapolitans. The cus- 
tom of carrying weights upon the head as here practised 
undoubtedly has a tendency to improve the chest, and is 
a very healthful exercise. The women probably owe 
their fine forms in some degree to this practice. 

We visited a large palace in the highest and most com- 
manding quarter of the city, from the windows of which 
we looked back upon the marshes, just as the sun was 
setting. We had been journeying all day upon the plain 
which the eye now commanded at a single view. The 
distant promontory of Circe situated at the western ex- 
tremity of the Pontine marshes, bounds the prospect on 
the right, and the Volscian mountains on the left, while 
the country near us rises slightly above the level of the 
plain, enlivened by villages, and enriched by cultivation. 

This palace is occupied by the police officers of the ci- 
ty, and as an edifice, possesses nothing worthy of obser- 
vation. From this place we strolled about the city, and 
came at length to a little church, which we attempted to 
enter, but found the door closed. As we walked around 
the building, an inscription upon a box soliciting charity 
for the order of St. Francis, attracted our attention. 
Through a grated window near it, we saw an immense 
pile of human bones promiscuously thrown together. We 
were surprised to see them above ground, and in such an 
exposed situation. On the corner of the church, and up- 
on other buildings near, is painted in large letters. Via 
Paradisa, the way to paradise. 



145 

We returned to our inn, which by this time was crowd- 
ed with company, principally English. We sat down to 
a common tabic and miserable dinner. The Italians pre- 
sent talked loud, and seemed content, while the English 
were reserved, and silent. With our three Italian com- 
panions we formed a separate and social party. We are 
fortunate in our companions, and find no want of topics, 
thoug-h our conversation consists of scraps of Italian, 
French and Eng-lish, combined I know not how. 



LETTER XX. 

Journey ?o Rome continued — Tomb of the Horatii and 
Curatii — Arrival. 

Feb. 27. — We commenced our last day's journey at 5 
o'clock, and passed Gensaro about sun rise, Rome, the 
place of our present destination, was near at hand, and 
our curiosity relative to things around us began to be 
absorbed in the expectation of soon beholding the ever- 
lasting city. The country through which we passed is 
rough, w©oded, and strewed with ruins. 

Many of the half decayed buildings on the Appian way, 
are of a construction vvhich shows them to have been 
monuments erected over the dead, though they are with- 
out inscriptions. We passed this morning a large ruin of 
this kind near the road, which is supposed to be the 
tomb of the Horatii and Curatii, who fell in the cele- 
brated combat which decided a dispute between Alba 
and Rome in the reign of Tullus Hostilius. A union of 
the two governments was proposed by Tullus, but Alba 
being the mother colony, was not willing to concede the 

N 



146 

location of* the eapitol to Rome. The armies of both 
cities were drawn up in order of battle, when Tullus pro- 
posed to Fuff'etius, the Alban dictator, to dicide the con- 
troversy by a single combat. " The Alban general not 
' being brave, or perhaps not thinking himself a match 
' for Tullus, brought several prudential reasons to prove 
' that it would be better to choose three champions out of 
' each army whose swords should terminate the contest, 
' than to hazard the lives of the generals. This proposal 
' Tullus accepted, and the chiefs retired to their entrench- 

* ments, 

*^ As soon as the conditions of the union of Alba and 

* Rome were known in the two armies, there was in both 
' of them a strong emulation among the young warriors 
' for the honor of being chosen to this important combat. 
' FufFetius cast his eyes upon three brothers whom he 
' imagined the gods themselves had pointed out to be the 
' champions for Alba ; believing also, that three broth- 
' ers who were then in the Roman camp, were under 

* the like destiny of being champions for Rome, it was 
' the extraordinary circumstance of their birth, which 
' made Fuffetius entertain this notion. Sequinius, an il- 
' lustrious Alban, had two daughters ; one married to 
' Curiatius, a citizen of Alba, the other to Horatius, a 
' citizen of Rome : and these two women were brought 

* to bed on the same day, each of three male children. 

* The Horatian and Curatian brothers were now in the 
' flower of their age, and all six remarkable for their 

* strength and dexterity in fighting. The Alban general 
' having fixed his choice on the three Curatii and gained 
' their consent, communicated his thought to the king of 

* Rome, and exhorted him to pitch upon the three Horatii. 



147 

" Tullus proposed the matter to the lloratian family, but 
" would lay no injunction upon them. Old Horalius, the 
" father of the three brothers, left them to act as they 
*'* would if he was not living-, and when he understood 
" that they, following the example of the Curatii, pre- 
" ferred a glorious death or important victory to an in- 
** glorious life, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and em- 
" bracing tliem, cried out, *' I am a happy father," and 
*' then commanded them to declare his consent to the 
" king, 

'* When the day appointed for the combat came, Tul- 
** lus led the Horatii and Fuffetius the Curatii, into the 
** plain between the camps, where the two kings, at- 
" tended by their fasciales, met in the middle of it, and 
" before the engagement, concluded a treaty in foru). 

** And now the Alban and Roman champions advanc- 
" ed with a slow pace, each to meet his adversiary. But 
*' in the instant when the people expected to see tliem in 
*' combat, they quitted tiieir arms, and, with tears in 
" their eyes, flew to the embrace of each otlier. The 
" spectators, greatly moved at this sight, began to mur- 
** mur at their kings who had engaged such tender and 
*' generous friends in a cruel rivalship for glory, 

*' A new scene quickly put an end to their pity, cap- 
" tivated all their attention, and employed all their hopes 
*' and fears. The triple combat began, and fortune for a 
" long time held an even balance. At length the eldest 
*' of the Horatii received a mortal wound and feli ; a se- 
*' cond of the Roman champions had ':he same fate, and 
*' expired on the body of his brother. The Alban army 
*' hereupon gave a great shout, while consternation and 
** despair spread themselves through the Roman camp. 



148 

'* The Roman cause however was not yet desperate ; for 
" all the Alban champions were wounded, and the re- 
" maining Horatius unhurt and undaunted. Neverthe- 
" less he did not think himself able to sustain the attack 
*' of three brothers at once, and therefore made use of a 
*' stratagem to separate them : he pretended fear, and 
" fled before them. The Curatii pursued him, but at 
" unequal distances, and as their strength would permit. 
" Horatius turned short upon the nimblest and slew him : 
** he then flew to the next, and with one stroke cut off 
•^' his arm ; after which he ran him through the body. 
*' The third was in no condition to iight. Being desper- 
*^ ateiy wounded, he could hardly support himself upon 
*' his buckler. Horatius cried out, *' to the glory of 
*' Rome I sacrifice thee ;'* struck him oti the throat, and 
" big with victory, seized the spoils of the vanquished. 
" Thus ended the famous combat which gave Rome the 
*' superiority over her mother Alba.'* 

This combat happened about eight}' years after the 
foundation of Rome. The building which is supposed to 
have been erected in its commemoration is of a circular 
form, and supports three pyrimidical turrets or obelisks. 
Two other turrets have fallen from their situations. In 
its original state, the turrets of the monument correspond- 
ed with the number of Horatii and Curatii who fell in the 
combat. 

Wishing to see the celebrated lake of Alba now AU 
bano, we sent the Veturino before us to the city of Alba« 
no, and walked towards the lake over part of the Alban 
mount. This beautiful sheet of water is about two miles 
in circumference. The banks are amazingly high, which 
is the cause of its singular appearance of loneliness and 



149 

quiet, remarked by travellers. The water fills a vast ba- 
sin, which at some remote period was the crater of a vol- 
cano. The mountain has been perforated by a cana!, 
which has reduced the surface of the lake below its oriiri- 
nal level. This perforation was made through solid rock 
for a great distance, and is considered a remarkable 
instance of the skill and perseverance of the ancient Ro- 
mans. 

The story of this singular excavation will be recollected 
by those who are familiar with Roman history. During 
tlie ten years siege of Veii, an old Roman soldier \\ho<t: 
predictions were viewed as oracular, prophesied to the 
following effect. 

" Veii shall never be taken until the water be run out 
ofthe lake of Alba." 

This prediction was made during a dry summer, and 
a detachment of the besieging army was immediately era- 
ployed upon the singular duty of draining the lake. 

The secret object doubtless was, to water the subjacent 
country ; which can easily be done at present through 
the canal, which serves as an outlet from a great reser- 
voir. 

We walked along the west side of this lake through a 
fine row of Ilex trees, to the village of Castel Gondolfo, 
As we hastened through the streets of this village to join 
our companions at Albano, we had our first view of Rome. 
It appeared small and diminished in the extended plain, 
but we could distinguish the dome of St. Peters towering- 
above the surrounding edifices, and presenting to the view 
tven at such a distance, a grand and imposing object. 

The Campagna is covered with ruins, and the arcades 
which support the aqueducts stretch their long lines to- 
n2 



150 

ward Rome. We could see the walls and gates of the 
great city, and as we examined more leisurely and mi- 
nutely, could distinguish the Coliceum and some ef the 
largest churches. 

The Campagna is bounded on the right, or east, by 
mountains of great height and boldness, and to the left, 
the level country extends as far as the eye can reach ; 
to the west of Albano the distant prospect is bounded by 
the sea. The view is extensive and varied ; possessing 
many attractive peculiarities, independent of its being 
the location of Rome. 

Having joined our companions we descended the Albaii 
mount, and pursued the last stage of our journey across 
the Campagna di Roma, The Campagna is a vast plain 
wi thout shades or enclosures, and its dreary sameness is only 
interrupted by the decayed monuments scattered over it. 
It is the burying ground of ages, and of nations, and the 
traveller imagines that he beholds at every step, the em- 
bodied spirits of ruin and desolation stalking around him. 
It is not possible for a stranger to approach Rome with- 
out sentiments of awe, and admiration. An individual 
feels his own insignificance when standing upon a spot 
where so many have lived and died. An American al- 
most looses his identity in the presence of venerable an- 
tiquities, which warn him at every step of the decay of 
human magnificence, and the vanity of all things. The 
sudden transition from the obscurity of my native village 
amidst the forests of America, to this field of ruin, and 
ancient renown, seemed too great for belief, and demanded 
a constant effort of the mind to dissipate the impressioB 
that all around me was an illusion I 



151 

We journeyed on, in the full view of Rome uutil we had 
strained our eyes to dizziness ; viewing in our slow ap- 
proach, the metropolis of the world. Our party were 
silent though they had all been at Rome before. There 
is something in the desolation around this city which over- 
whelms the spirit. I thought I had seen nothing before 
desolate and ruinous ! 



LETTER XXI. 

Arrival at Rome — The first excursion — Pantheon — St. 
Peters — Quirinal and Colonna palaces. 

Rome, Feb. 28 
We arrived at the gate of St. John Lateran a little be- 
fore sun set last evening; our papers were exarriined, 
and we were conducted by the officer of customs to the 
Dogana to have our trunks and portmanteaux inspected. 
Every article of our baggage was scrupulously examined, 
and we were detained until it was quite dark. Our trunks 
were then taken to Franc's hotel, near the Place de Spag' 
ne, where the Admiral, having been formerly a lodger, 
was recognized by the hospitable landlord, and we soon 
found ourselves settled in convenient apartments. 

After supper we went to the coffee-house, a little dis- 
tance from the hotel, where we met a great number of 
Englishmen, and among them five or six of our acquain- 
tance. The Admiral introduced me to his friends, a num- 
ber of whom, were at this place. Community of pursuits 
soon produces a degree of intimacy. Before we had finish- 
ed our coffee several projects were started, and plans ar- 
ranged for to-morrow, in which the convenience and 
gratification of all present were consulted. 



152 

1 also had the good fortune to meet one of my own 
countrymen whom I had seen at Naples, and to whom I 
had been indebted for my introduction to my travelling 
companion the Admiral. He joined us in our plan of 
visiting in parties certain ruins and edifices, and upon the 
execution of these arrangements we are to act in concert. 
We made a late call upon Mons. Gonel, a French phy- 
sician, who has resided many years at Rome, and were 
received with the politeness for which his countrymen are 
so distinguished. He offered us every aid and assistance 
in his power, during our residence in the city. 

March 1. — ^In Rome every thing is full of interest that 
first meets the view of a stranger. After an early break- 
fast we spent two hours in viewing the principal streets, 
and the general outline of the city, when by appointment 
our party met at the Pantheon. We could not have cho- 
sen a walk better adapted to the display of all that is pe- 
culiar to Rome. The streets we had passed were wide, 
and consisted of lines of palaces and ancient edifices, of 
greater height and more imposing grandeur than we have 
before seen ; but antiquity, dignity, and grandeur, seemed 
embodied and located in the admired Pantheon. We re- 
collected the ancient date of this edifice, and could hardly 
believe the evidence of our senses when we contemplated 
its undecayed exterior, and its columns which had defied 
the lapse of twenty centuries. 

It is more than one thousand years since the Pantheon 
was converted into a church, by Pope Boniface IV. which 
circumstance saved it from the destructrion which has 
swept away many of the heathen temples of Rome. We 
passed between the columns of the portico and entered 
ihe building. It is of a circular form, and lighted from 



153 

the dome. The aperture which admits the hght being 
open, the rain falls throug^h it upon the floor, or pave- 
ment, which is formed with marble slabs, descending a 
little towards the centre of the building, where there is a 
perforation to allow the water to pass through. On every 
side the walls are supported by columns and pilasters of 
the richest marble. Between the columns are a number 
of altars, before which people were kneeling. But in our 
first walk in Rome we cannot attend to the minutiee of 
objects, or the particular history of edifices. It is the 
general aspect of things which fixes the attention. The 
Pantheon, however, so peculiar yet so perfect in its de- 
sign, so ancient, but undecayed, enchains the imagina- 
tion, as being complete in itself, and independent of the 
sceneiy which surrounds it. 

Simple, erect, severe, austere, sublime — 

Shrine of all saints and temple of all Gods, 
From Jove to .Jesus — spared and blest by time; 

Looking tranquility, while falls or nods 
Arch, empire, each tiling round thee, and man plods 

His way thiough tliorns to ashes — glorious dome ! 
Shalt thou not last ? Time's scythe and tyrants' rods 

Shiver upon thee — sanctuary and home 
Of art and piety — Pantheon ! — pride of Rome. 

llelic of nobler days, and noblest arts ! 

Despoiled yet perfect, with thy circle spreads 
A holiness appealing to all hearts — 

To art a model ; and to him who treads 
Rome for the sake of ages, glory sheds 

Her light through thy sole aperture ; to those 
Who worship, here are altars for their beads ; 

And they who feel for genius may repose 
Their eyes on honored forms, whose busts around them close* 

Byroiu 



154 

From the Pantheon we walked to the Capitol, the Fo- 
rum, the Coliceum, and the Temple of Peace. At the 
Capitol we passed through the immense galleries of statu- 
ary and paintings ; at the Forum we took a hasty view 
of the ruins of temples, porticos, and triumphal arches ; 
at the Coliceum, contemplated the greatest and most ex- 
tensive ruin of Rome, or of the world. Neither the plan 
of our walk, nor tlie impatience of our curiosity would 
permit us to make any minute observations. As we 
crossed the Forum we saw a great number of laborers 
employed in removing the earth which covers the ancient 
ruins. In every part of the city where there are walls 
or columns, which show the ancient level of the surface, 
the earth and rubbish have accumulated to the depth of 
about twenty feet. This has been in part produced by 
the decay of edifices, in part by the filling up of the 
bed of the Tiber, which has caused it to overflow many 
places which were formerly above its banks. 

On our return we passed a little chapel which had an 
inscription over the door, purporting that St. Peter and 
St. Paul had been confined in the prison below. We 
observed a flight cf steps, and descended to a subterrane- 
ous apartment, which was crowded with people. They 
were kneeling before an altar, and did not seem disturb- 
ed by our intrusion. We advanced toward the altar, and 
observed a hght ascending from a cell, below that iii 
which we stood. In ancient times this was a dungeon 
for the confinement of prisoners in the Marmertine 
prison. It is beheved that St. Peter and St. Paul were 
confined in this cell. Whether this belief is founded in 
probabihty we do not know, but have no doubt of the 
antiquity of the prison. It is situated on the Capitoline 



155 

hill, and is an excavation in solid rock ; fi-om these facts 
we may be sure that its location is ancient. 

It now began to grow dark, and we returned to our 
hotel. We had spent the whole day in a very cursory 
examination of objects which had given us a melancholy 
example of what Rome contains, to reward our curiosity 
in exploring its monuments and its ruins. 

March 2. — We commenced our labors this morning by 
crossing the britlgc of St. Angelo to the colonnade of St. 
Peters. The Coliceum is considered the greatest ruin, 
and St Peters the most magnificent undecayed edifice in 
Rome. Conscious of the acknowledged preeminence of 
this church, I could not feel willing to commence exam- 
ining the ruins, and ordinary buildings, until 1 had seen it, 
though it is the custom of travellers to reserve this great 
feast of their curiosity, until they have seen the less re- 
markable edifices. It is a better calculation however, 
to look at the most remarkable objects, first, that 
the taste be not formed upon erroneous standards, and 
that the mind may be possessed of the best data by which 
to compare, and estimate, whatever is to be presented to 
future observation. If one object of visiting the metropo- 
lis of the fine arts, be to form our taste as regards their 
productions, we shall be wise if we study the master 
pieces, and form our ideas of perfection, upon those mo- 
dels which are acknowledged to be most perfect. To 
study the monuments, the paintings and the architecture, 
must be among the principal objects of an American 
traveller; who cannot consistently with the general de- 
sign of his journey, spend more than six or eight weeks at 
Rome. During a time so limited he cannot expect to 
avingle much in society, nor is this the proper place t© 



156 

study the history of Italy. While visiting the ruins of 
Rome, any recollections we may be so fortunate as to 
recall, of her ancient condition, her exploits and her 
greatness, will indeed, give an increased interest to the 
scenery around us, but if the mind is not already stored 
with such associations, it will be too late to acquire them, 
when we have commenced our walks among the remains 
of her ancient splendor, and the monuments of her pre- 
sent magnificence. 

The distance from the bridge of St Angelo to the Vati- 
can does not exceed five hundred yards, yet the view of 
St. Peters from that favorable point is lost by the inter- 
vention of a block of buildings. The domes and roof of 
the church can be seen from the centre of the bridge, and 
as we approached, through the street which leads directly 
from the Tiber, the colonnades, the fountains, the obelisk 
and the fascade, gradually opened upon our view. Our first 
impression was that of surprise and disappointment at the 
limited magnitude and defective elevation, of the greatest 
edifice in the world. This effect, is caused by the sim- 
plicity of the fascade, and the regular sweep and extent 
of the semicircular colonnades, which advance about two 
hundred feet, forming two sides of the area or court in 
front of the building. In the centre of this court is plac- 
ed an Egpytian obelisk one hundred and twenty-four feet 
in height ; equidistant from the obelisk on each side, are 
two fountains which throw an immense quantity of water 
about seventy feet into the air. As the spectator ap- 
proaches he becomes, at every step, more sensible of the 
magnitude of the edifice and the colonnade, and surprise 
is added to the pleasure which results from the contem- 
plation of architectural beauty. The length of the front 



157 

whrch he had easily comprehended in one view, is tour 
hundred feet, and its height one hundred and eighty ; the 
dome which appeared low, rises four hundred feet, and 
towers above the two cupolas in graceful and just pro- 
portion. But while standing near the obelisk the eye 
rests principally upon the fascade, and the noble sweep 
of columns surrounding the area, which together forms a 
display of architectural grandeur, which is said never to 
have been exceeded, or perhaps equalled. The Tybertinc 
stone employed in the collonnade and all the front of the 
church, is of an uniform light colour. The steps which 
ascend to the vestibule are constructed with the same 
material. The exact uniformity of colour improves the 
general simplicity of the exterior of this wonderful pile. 
Before we went into the church, we retired to the spot 
where we had first viewed it, to see whether we should 
again receive the idea of limited extent. The same oc- 
cular deception remained, and on reflection, we presume, 
it is not the consequence of any defect. Buildings of a sim- 
ple construction, and natural objects having a regularity 
of shape as the conical mountains, always seem diminish- 
ed when viewed from a distance. This is remarkably the 
case with Mount Etna, which is an isolated cone. It rises 
so far above the surrounding mountains that the eye finds 
no object by which to measure its altitude. Thus the 
dome of St. Peters towers above the surrounding edifices, 
with a solitary grandeur, which reminds the beholder, of 
the vast monuments of nature, and seems not to partake 
t)f the insignificance of human designs. 

We entered this stupendous edifice and viewed for a 
short time its arcades, sculptured marbles, mosaics an^ 
o 



158 

paintings. Notliing is short of our expectations, in this 
vast monument of human skill and perseverence. 

But thou of temples old and altars new, 

Standest alone — with nothing like to thee — 

Worthiest of God, the hoi}- and the true. 
Since Zion's desolation, when that He 
Forsook his former city, what could be. 

Of earthly structure, in his honor piled 
Of a sublimer aspect ? Majesty, 

Power, glory, strength, and beauty, all are aisled 
In this eternal ark of worship undefiled. 

Enter : its grandeur overwhelms thee not ; 

And why ? it is not lessened ; but tliy mind. 
Expanded by the genius of the spot, 

Has grown colossal, and can only find 

A fit abode wherein appear enshrined 
Thy hopes of immortality ; and thou 

Shalt one day, if found worthy, so defined 
See thy God face to face, as thou dost now 
His Holy of Holies, nor be blasted by his brow. — Byron. 

Our arrangement for the day was to visit the Quirinal 
palace ; the palace Rospilioni, and the villa of Albano. 
We find it will be indispensably necessary for us to ar- 
range, and systematize, the plan of our daily walks in 
Rome, as we shall not otherwise be able to see its most 
interesting objects. We shall make use of Vasi's book, as 
our guide to the ruins and edifices. This work gives a 
minute description of every thing worthy the curiosity of 
travellers, and renders it entirely unnecessary for us to be 
attended by a guide. We commenced our excursion this 
morning at the Quirinal palace, the present residence of 
the Pope. It is situated on the summit of the Quirinal 
hill, or Mount Cavallo, which receives its name from the 
celebrated groupe of statues, which ornaments the area in 



159 

iVotit of the palace. This groupe was formerly supposed 
to represent Alexander and Bucephalus. It was also sup- 
posed that one of the two horses, was sculptured by Phidi- 
as, and the other by Praxitelles. But Winkelman, unfor- 
tunately for the fame of Bucephalus, discovered that those 
sculptors lived long before Alexander. It is now believed, 
that the statues represent Castor and Pollux. All agree 
in ranking them among the most beautiful remains of an- 
tiquity. They were originally brought from Alexandria, 
and were recovered by Sixtus V. from the ruins ot the 
baths of Constantine, 

The palace consists of four wings surrounding a spaci- 
ous oblong court. The area of the court, measuring 323 
by 164 feet, is paved with round stones. The court is sur- 
rounded by covered galleries or porticos. 

We were permitted to view the principal apartments 
although now occupied by the Pope and his attendants. 
'J'he furnished chambers are the most commodious apart- 
ments we have yet seen. Usually, tlie palaces have more 
the appearance of museums, and cabinets of statuary, 
than of comfortable abodes ; nor is the Quirinal destitute 
of paintings and sculpture. The vaults are painted in 
fresco, and the walls hung with the productions of all 
the celebrated masters of Italy. The subjects of the his- 
torical paintings, are usually taken from scripture. The 
effect of these paintings upon the mind of the beholder, 
is uniformly pleasing, unless it be in those instances 
where the painter has attempted to represent the Crea- 
tor. However distinguished the piece may be, as to the 
merit of its execution, the spectator revolts at the idea of 
an attempt to delineate in material colours, the features, 
and presence of the incomprehensible Deity. 



16d 

At the palaee of RospiKoni our attention was too muefi 
engaged by a single painting to allow of our following 
Mons. Vasi through his elaborate description. The paint- 
ing I allude to, is the Aurora of Guido. It is called the 
master piece of its author. 

The walk to the villa of Albano, is through a lonely and 
deserted quarter of the city, where the ruins are more ex- 
tensive than the inhabited edifices. We hardly saw a per- 
son in the road except a ragged countrymanj who was driv- 
ing his donkie, and singing to cheer himself in his solitary 
peregrination. We spent the remainder of the day, afe 
the villa, and palace of Albano ; in examining antiquities, 
statues and pictures, sufficiently numerous to furnish 
matter for the labor and study of years. 

March 3. — -It is estimated that there are sixty thousand 
statues at Rome. From what we have already seen, we 
can give full credit to this account. At the Justinian pal- 
ace, we were ushered into a suit of apartments which 
contained so many statues and baso relievos, that we 
found it vain to attempt to number them. With the ex« 
ception of the Vatican and the Capitol, we are happy 
to learn we shall not see another collection as numer-. 
ous. We rejoice at this information, because we find 
our attention so much diverted and distracted in such im- 
mense galleries, that we can contemplate nothing with a 
high degree of satisfaction. Among the statues, we were 
particularly pleased with a Mercury holding in his hand 
his caduceus and purse. Our learned Ciceroni continu- 
ed, as we walked hastily along, to name each object, and 
to hurry us towards the end of the gallery. Having pass- 
ed through the long lines of statues, we were conducted 
to the saloon of paintings, where our guide^ in the same 



161 

rapid manner pointed us to the paintings of Gerardo della 
Notti, Leonardo de Vinci, Raphael^ and Salvator Rosa, 
names, illustrious in the annals of the arts of Italy. 
The massacre of the infants by Poussin, attracted our 
attention more than any other picture, and we took time 
to examine it with some minuteness. This picture has 
been by many considered as imperfect, in not containing- 
a sufficient number of characters for an action so general. 
To a person who is not a connoissieur, however, this ob- 
jection will not occur. The inexperienced eye is always 
pleased with simplicity and unity of design. 



LETTER XXII. 

Palace Colonna — Ceremony at the sixtine chapel — The 
Pope and Cardinals — Galleries of the J^atican. 

March 4. — We spent the day in the galleries of the 
Spada, and Colonna palaces, each containing subjects for 
volumes of description. It is a regular employment for 
the thousand foreigners at Rome, to spend their days, in 
inspecting palaces, churches, and temples, and to find 
them inexhaustable. We pass from gallery to gallery, 
insensible of the lapse of time, until compelled by fatigue 
or the darkness of evening, to retire to our apartments. 

The most remarkable object at the Spada palace, is the 
statue of Pompey, at the foot of which Caesar fell, forty- 
five years before the christian era. This statue is less 
remarkable in itself, than as a forcible and undisputed re- 
cord, of an event so well known, and of a period so remote. 
The identity of the monument surprises us, and we are 
filled with admiration, in viewing the unchanged features 
o2 



162 

of the marble, when generations of men, and empires 
have passed away. 

The Colouna palace is one of the most magnificent edi- 
fices at Rome. It is situated at the foot of the Quirina! 
hill, to the summit of which its gardens extend, and ii« 
inhabited by one of the most distinguished families of 
Italy. The principal gallery of this palace is considered 
the finest apartment in Rome, and perhaps in the worlds 
It is two hundred and nine feet in length and thirty-five 
broad, decorated with pilasters of yellow marble, and 
trophies of gilt stucco. The vault is a beautiful arch re- 
posmg upon a cornice, and painted in fresco. It is no^ 
individual ornament, to which this splendid saloon owes 
its high character, but to the taste and elegance of every 
part, combining to produce a tout ensemble that cannot 
be surpassed. The paintings are not very numerous, but 
select ; consisting of some of the favorite productions of 
Salvator Rosa, the landscapes of Claude Lorrain, and va- 
rious pictures by Andre del Sarto, Guido, Titian, Paul 
Veronese and Reubens. 

At the hour of vespers we went to a rich chapel upon 
Monte Cavalh), where we attended worship. Twenty or 
thirty young men dressed in black cloaks, entered the 
chapel at the same time with ourselves, and after pros- 
trating, in succession, before each altar, retired without 
waiting the conclusion of the music and other exercises 
rfhich the priests were performing. 

March 5. — We attended a ceremony at the sixtine 
chapel, and were so fortunate as to obtain admittance to 
the presence of the Pope and Cardinals, though the crowd 
was very great. About twenty Cardinals had arrived 
when we entered the chapel. After the doors were 



163 

closed, and the whole congregation had remained seated, 
about half an hour, the Pope was brought into the apart- 
ment, supported in a gilt chair, by four attendants. He 
was conducted to a temporary throne, where he was seated 
and the ceremonies commenced by a salutation from the 
Cardinals, who approached his Holiness in succession, 
bowing, kneeling before him, and kissing his hand. A 
lower order of dignitaries performed the same salutations 
except, that instead of kissing the hand of his HoHness, 
they kissed his foot. Mass was then performed and a 
sermon preached. The Pope kneeled before the altar, and 
remained for a considerable time in the attitude of prayer j 
then chaunted aloud, in the nasal tone of the Benedictines, 
in which he was joined by all the Cardinals. The choir 
consisted of bass voices, and castrata, and far exceeded 
any vocal music I have before heard. Another salutation 
from each Cardinal, and a benediction, by the Pope, 
concluded the ceremonies. The Pope pronounced the 
benediction standing, and with a dignified and graceful 
manner. His Holiness is rather below the middling sta- 
ture ; his features are large, and his figure stoopswith 
the decrepitude of age. He speaks quickly, and in 
a tremulous and unequal voice. The people who were 
collected to witness the ceremonies of the sixtine chapel, 
considered the religious show, only as the commencement 
of the amusements of the morning. They passed in par- 
ties from the scene of worship and ceremony, to the gal- 
leries of the Vatican, and the immense aisles of St. Pe- 
ters. The last may be called the promonade of Rome. 
So immense is this wonderful edifice, that thousands may 
be walking in its recesses, examining its sculpture, its 
paintings and mosaics, without disturbing other thou- 



164 

sands who are at the same time kneeling before its al- 
tars. 

I remained with my friends in the sixtine chapel until 
the company had retired when we had an opportunity to 
look at the celebrated picture by Michael Angelo, called 
the last judgment. It occupies the whole of one side of 
the chapel, and is considered the first work in fresco, 
if not the greatest production of that master. It is stat- 
ed in the books describing this chapel, that it was erect- 
ed and finished in the short space of twenty months ; 
and that the great painting above mentioned was per- 
formed by Michael Angelo alone. Perrugiao, and other 
painters from Florence aided in completing the twelve 
large pictures, which give a connected history of the old 
■ and new testament, and cover the other walls and vault 
of the chapel. The chapel is destitute of sculptured mar- 
bles and architectural ornaments. It is considered suf- 
ficiently rich in the possession of its pictures. We walk- 
ed through a number of apartments to the gallery of the 
Vatican where we remained until evening, and saw the 
paintings and sculpture ; the groupe of Laocoon, the 
Torso, and the matchless Apollo. We stood in the pre- 
sence of indescribable beauty and perfection ; the models 
which have inspired the world. Our hopes and expec- 
tations were realized, and we felt for a moment as if our 
object in visiting the metropolis of the earth was accom- 
plished. Could we ever again, hope to witness such a 
triumph of human taste and skill as the Apollo of Bel- 
videre ! 

" the Lord of tlie unerring bow^ 

" The God of life, and poesy, and light — 
" The sun in human limbs arraj^ed, and brow 

" AU radiant from his triumph in the fight ; 



165 

'* Tiie shaft had just been shot— the arro>t bright 

** With an immortal's vengeance ; in his eye 
** And nostril beautiful disdain, and might 
" And majesty, flash their full lightnings by, 
" Developing in that one glance the Deity. 

" But in his delicate form — a dream of love, 

*•' Shaped by some solitary nymph, whose breast 
*' Long'd for a deathless lover from above, 

" And maddened in that vision — are exprest 
" All that ideal beauty ever blest 

" The mind within its most unearthly mood, 
" When each conception was a heavenly guest — 

*' A ray of immortality — and stood, 
"•' Starlikcj aravind; until they gathered to a God !" 



LETTER XXIII. 

The Coliceum — Gardens among ruins — The tarpeiau 
rock — The modern Capitol — The church of St. Peter 
in prison — The Moses of Michael Angelo — Baths of 
Titus — Church of St. Peter in the mountain. 

March 5. — We spent the day in visiting- churches, 
fountains, and other ornamental edifices of modern Rome ; 
we contemplate the splendid palaces and temples of this 
wonderful city, with as much astonishment and admira- 
tion as her antiquities. The world can hardly exhibit 
such a collection of ancient remains or of modern gran- 
deur. 

After spending several hours at the churches of St.. 
John Lateran and St. Mariah Maggiore, we walked to the 
Coliceum, the Forum, and the Temple of Peace. The 
ruins of the Forum are scattered over a considerable ex-* 



166 

tent of surface, and are intermixed with modern edifices^, 
but the Coliceum is such a vast edifice, and its walls and 
arcades are yet so great, that it confines within is own 
limits, an uninterrupted solitude — the solitude of ages — 
which revolutions and earthquakes ; the dilapidations of 
barbarians and christians, have not been able to destroy. 
The foundations of this immense structure, like those of all 
the ruins of ancient Rome, were covered to a considerable 
depth with rubbish, but an excavation has been made a- 
round it, and the trench defended by a waM, so that the 
whole exterior of the building is now exposed. In many 
places the outer wall is entire, quite to the top, and shows 
the half columns with which it is ornamented in perfect 
preservation. The circle of the arena is nearly entire, but 
is encumbered with rubbish and earth of about the same 
depth as that which surround the outer walls of the 
building. In the centre of the arena is a cross of a very 
large size, where a great number of people were kneeling. 
On approaching it we observed the following inscription, 
painted in large characters : " indulgence for one hun- 
dred days, to those who worship here." We saw no per- 
son near the Coliceum except such as came as worship- 
pers. Having kneeled before the shrine of their pilgrini'- 
age, they soon retired and were followed by others. 

The present Pope has erected walls of brick and stone 
to prevent some of the summits of the eastern arcades 
from falling. We have observed similar repairs made by 
him about other ruins, which serve to illustrate both the 
taste of his Holiness, and the estimation in which the 
modern Romans view the remains of their ancient gran- 
deur. 



167 

Notwithstanding the dilapidations made upon the Coli- 
ceuni by barbarians and christians, ever since the in- 
vasion of Totila, A. D. 546, it is still the largest building 
in Rome, with the exception of St. Peters. It is built 
with large blocks of Tybertine stone, fastened together 
vvilh bolts of brass. These pieces of metal tempted the 
barbarians to begin their spoilations, and the walls re- 
main rough and defaced where they were chiselled for 
the purpose of removing them. 

The Coliceum is of an oval shape, 581 feet long and 481 
feet wide : its external circumference is 1016 feet. The 
walls are decorated on the outside with half columns of 
three orders of architecture, one over another. Contrary 
to the usual rules of proportion, the highest columns are 
the longest. Between the lowest row of columns are eigh- 
ty beautiful arches, which served as entrances to the outer 
corridors. The seats rose in gradation from the arena to 
the outer walls. The plan of the amphitheatre is similar 
to those at Herculaneum, Pompeii and Baiae, though not 
as ancient as either of them. It was built by Vespasian, A , 
1). 71. 

March 8. — We were kept at home yesterday by a 
storm, the first rain since we left Naples. The country 
was suffering with drought ; the weather is warm and de- 
lightful. 

As we walked this morning through various parts of 
the city we observed the laborers employed in the fields 
and gardens, weeding and hoeing, as in the month of 
May, in New-England. The gardens and fields are con- 
siderably extensive, even within the walls of ancient Rome. 
We wished to see the peasants engaged in their rural la- 
bors, and went for this purpose from the Coliceum where 



168 

we spent the moming, to the ruins of the palaces of th« 
Caesars. The remains of these buildings are immense 
substructions of brick and stone, situated on the side of 
Mount Palatin, covering a space of six or seven acres, 
which has been so much cleared of rubbish, as to be con- 
verted into fertile fields. A number of children followed 
us as we walked through these gardens, begging for mo- 
ney, and offering to sell us old coins and pieces of metal, 
which they had found near that place, or at the Forum, 
where excavations are going on at the present time. The 
masses of ruined walls and arches, which rise like broken 
ledges above the level of the soil, are covered with a lux- 
urient growth of ivy. In some places the goats were 
climbing upon these ruins as they do upon the sides of 
mountains. We met Mr. Wathen, an English artist, who 
was making sketches of the ruins upon the Palatine 
mount ; he went with us to the Tarpeian Rock. We 
sent our valet de place to bring us some fruit, and waited 
upon this celebrated rock while Wr. Wathen sketched the 
Aventine mount, and the buildings upon it, as well as the 
Tiber, Jferraing a beautiful curve at its base. The Tar» 
peiaii Rock is on the Capitoline hill, and is nearly as 
higii as any part of Rome. We could see from it, the 
Tiber, nearly all the way through the city ; all of the 
bridges, and the Port beyond the Aventine mount. Sev- 
eral small sloops were at anchor in the river, but the 
stream is small, and not navigable for ships of any great 
burthen. 

The Tiber would be considered a small stream in A- 
merica ; at Rome its size may be compared with that of 
Otter creek, at Vergennes in Vermont, or the Genesee 
river, at Rochester, in the state of New- York, Its water 



169 

V 

is turbid and the current sluggish, yet from the hills of 
Rome we see it meandering through the distant Campag- 
na in beautiful irregularity. 

The Tarpeiau Rock forms a perpendicular precipice on 
one side of about twenty feet. It is surrounded by small 
buildings and out houses, having nothing in its appear- 
ance imposing or remarkable. It is natural to feel a little 
disappointment, when we find an object, associated with our 
earliest recollections, with the most exalted ideas of anti- 
quity, and of ancient Rome, to be nothing but common 
stone and earth — a plain unconspicuous rock, rendered 
more obscure by the filth of stables piled against it. Yet 
we stood upon the Tarpeian Rock, within a few feet of the 
Capitol, and in the centre of the city — the master of the 
ancient world, and the v/onder and admiration of all ages ! 

March 6. — Though the Capitol occupies the same spot 
as the ancient building of that name, it is not at present 
known as the place where the contending interests of 
provinces and nations are adjusted and the fate of mon- 
archies determined, as in ancient times. It is principally 
appropriated to the treasures of art, which constitute so 
great a share of the glory of modern Rome. The buildings 
now denominated the Capitol, consist of three edifices, 
which form three sides of a square. The principal ap- 
proach to these buildings is by a wide and highly orna- 
mented stair case. The square formed by the three fronts 
of the Capitol and this noble flight of steps, is ornament- 
ed with two fountains, and the celebrated equestrian sta- 
tue of Marcus Aurelius. The fronts of the modern Capi- 
tol are of recent construction, and we understand, were 
designed by Michael Angelo. That celebrated master 
also erected the pedestal upon which the equestrian sta- 
p 



170 

tue above mentioned is placed, and by the accuracy and 
justness of its elevation, has added all that position can 
add, to the fine effect of this admirable piece of sculpture. 
AVe observed the initials " S. P. Q. R," in many places in 
large letters, upon the walls, but while contemplating the 
display of external ornament, the sole design of the modern 
Capitol, we could hardly realize that we were viewing the 
proud sanctuary of the senate and the Roman people. 
Two wings of the Capitol are filled with statuary and 
paintings. We spent the morning in these galleries. 

Our next walk was to the church of " St. Peter in pri- 
son." The principal treasure of this building is a semi- 
colossal statue of Moses, sculptured by Michael Angelo. 
The law giver is represented in a siting posture, holding 
the tables of the testimony in his hand ; at the moment 
when he receives the intelligence of his people having 
worshipped the golden calf. He is represented as looking 
upon his followers with a mixed expression of indignation, 
disappointment and contempt, blended with stern and 
majestic rebuke. The only ornaments of this church 
aside from this grand work, are some secondary statues, 
and a few unostentatious pictures placed near the altar. 
The church was designed by Michael Angelo as a theatre 
for his master piece in sculpture ; and his skill is much 
admired in having left it without any other imposing, 
or rival object. 

We terminated our walk at the baths of Titus, not far 
from the Coliceum. The ruins of these baths are entirely 
subterraneous, but they have been extensively excavated, 
and treasures of various kinds drawn from their recesses** 
The groupe of Laocoon, was found in one of these apart- 
ments, and its pedestal yet remains in its original place. 



171 

The paintings upon the walls are in excellent preserva- 
tion, and are the principal curiosities, which the guide 
pointed out as we walked, by the light of a flambeau, 
through the obscure passages. The colour of these paint- 
ings is not in the least degree faded. They were better 
executed than those at Pompeii, and in many places the 
gildings yet sparkled as the light was passed along the 
walls. 

March 7. — We spent the morning at Jesus' church, 
which is inhabited by an order of benedictine monks, who 
have been lately restored by the Pope from long silence 
and disgrace. It was crowded with worshippers, and we 
found, upon enquiry, that persecotion had rendered their 
cause a popular one. The whole day we passed in view- 
ing edifices, statues, paintings and fountains, but it is use- 
less to attempt to enumerate every object. To show their 
galleries, and guide us to their antiquities, is the hospi- 
table care, and the regular business, of many of tiie 
modern Romans. In the course of our morninir Avalk, 
we visited the church of St. Peters in the mountain, 
built over the spot where that favored Apostle was 
buried. The ashes have since been removed to St. Peters 
in the Vatican, but the original, sepulchral chapel is kept 
in repair. The celebrated painting, "the transfiguration," 
by Raphael, was designed for this church, but the canvas 
being too large, it was never hung in the place for which 
it was intended.* The discriminating master, doubtless 

* The remark is Inaccurate, as the picture Is described by I.a 
Lande, as placed over the mother altar, and in a bad light. It 
is highly probable it was never the design of Uapliael, that tlif* 
picture should remain permanently in this place. The Transfi- 
g'uration was the last work of its immortal autiicr. 



172 

foresaw that bis chef d'ouvre was destined for some more 
distinguished situation, and his employers did not discover 
his design, till too late to prevent it. This church was 
erected by Constantine. 



LETTER XXin, 

Pauline fountain — Villa Pamfili — JDoria palace— -St, 
Peters — Place Navone — Sujoerb fountains — Triuni" 
phal arches — -Baths of Caracalla — Temple of Roinu" 
lus. 

Rome, March 9. 

The fountains are numerous, and among the most 
beautiful buildings in Rome. One of the largest in the 
city is called the Pauline Fountain. It was constructed 
by Fontana in 1615, in the reign of Paul V. with mate- 
rials taken from the ruins of the Forum of Nerva. 

The aqueduct which supplies this fountain, is thirty-five 
miles in length, supported upon arches, where the ground 
requires it, and conducted over streams, and through 
rocks, so as to preserve nearly the same degree of incli- 
nation through its whola extent. 

It is situated near the top of Mount Janiculus, the 
highest part of Rome, and the vast quantity of water 
it discharges, is easily conveyed to every part of the city. 
The building around this fountain is a considerable edi- 
fice ; its plan is formally criticized by Vasi, and La 
Lande. It consists of a fascade, formed by two rows of 
arches resting one upon another, ornamented with Corin- 
thian columns. The water gushes through the upper- 
most arches, between these columns, and falls like a 



173 

natural cataract into a vast marble basin. From this 
basin it sinks into subterraneous conduits, and is con- 
ducted down the hill to supply the fountains within the 
collonnade of St. Peters, and others, on the west side of 
the Tiber. As it descends the hill, it moves mills for 
grinding wheat, and other machinery. 

We walked through a Botanical garden near this 
fountain, and passed out at the gate called St. Pancreas, 
to the villa Pamfili, situated about one mile from the city, 
on the Aurehan way. This villa covers an extent of 
about two hundred acres. The grounds are laid out in 
the most beautiful manner, into gardens, parks, avenues, 
promonades, &c. In the centre is a Cassino or palace, 
which is filled with statues and paintings of the first mas- 
ters. We were allowed to walk through all the apart- 
ments. In general the rooms contain no furniture, ex- 
cept paintings and statues. The business of those who 
visit this place, is to walk through it, as if it were a 
museum, and depart. 

The water which supplies the fountain of the villa is 
collected into a reservoir in one of the parks, where it 
forms an artificial lake. At the outlet of this lake is a 
cataract, but on a scale too diminished ; and it is almost 
the only object, which we ventured to consider badly de- 
signed and defective.* 

* The elegance of the Roman villas, so far as my observation ex- 
tends, is entirely unrivalled in France and En^^land. They pos- 
sess great variety of surface, as well as boldness and beauty of 
surrounding scenery. To these natural advantages art has add- 
ed every possible decoration. The Italian mode of ornamental 
gardening differs from the English, and is probably inferior to it? 
in the peculiarity of a regular distribution of walks, parterres, 

p2 



174 

We walked back to Rome in season to see the gaHfries 
of the Doria palace in the via Longano. The paintings 
are principally by Guido, Annibal Caracci, and Poussinf 
there are a few fine pictures by Raphael and Salvator 
Rosa. A face of Julius II. by Raphael, is believed to 
be the best portrait to be found at Rome. Raphael dis- 

and shades. This, however, may admit of a question, for the 
Italian method combines art with nature, in a manner that can- 
not fail of pleasing". The English, who reject regularity in or- 
namental gardening, adopt a style more exceptionable in their 
architecture ; but it must in turn be acknowledged, that the mi- 
nute tracery, and multiplied artificial combinations of gothic de- 
sign, are in many instances highly beautiful. It is to be regret- 
ed that the Italians have not adopted the English style, to vary 
their own ; and that the English have not in some instances, 
planted their shades in accurate lines, and cut their hawthorn, 
their oak and their cypress, into the shape of cones, arches, 
urns and columns. The English in all instances plant their 
shades in clumps ; their walks wind irregulai'ly, and their 
streams meander, until the very irregularity becomes monoto- 
nous. The French have imitated the Italian style, and its effect^ 
in the champagne countries, is more decidedly bad, than in Italy t 
for the sameness of a continued plain, fatigues the tiiiveller the 
more, in consequence of the straight lines of poplars, and other 
trees, with which the road is beset. Artificial lakes, rivers, and 
cataracts, are not proper objects to be admitted into ornamental 
gardening. We might as well build mountains or volcanos. The 
serpentine river, which is intended to ornament one of the Parks 
in the vicinity of London, is about as perfect as this lake. In a 
similar taste, some of the villas in England are decorated with 
stone bridges, where there is no river to be passed over. Even 
Dalkeith in Scotland, a place vv'hich nature has most lavishly or- 
namented, is deformed by such a bridge, erected in a substantial 
style of masonry, with a, wide road crossing over it, which leads 
to — nothingo 



175 

(iained to take the likeness, of any other indiviilual, than 
his steady and sole patron. The principal picture by 
Salvatoi* Uosa, is a Prometheus with tiie Vulture, done in 
his most energretic and terrible style. It gives a more 
shocking idea of human agony than any spectacle 1 ever 
witnessed. Our walk terminated at St. Peters — always 
new, and often, the shrine of our daily pilgrimage. 
Whatever we njay have seen during the day, we are sure 
to be best satisfied, and most delighted, in this incompara- 
ble temple. It is a sacred spot, we must kneel in it, and 
not withhold our adoration, though the thousands who 
prostrate themselves before the same altars, are Catholics 
and Italians ! 

March 8. — The Place Navone, is one of the most spa- 
cious squares in the city. Its length is about thirty 
rods and its width fifteen. It is ornamented with three 
large fountains, and the buildings which surround it, are 
lines of palaces. The largest fountain, in the centre of 
the square rises under an artificial rock, which supports 
an Egyptian obelisk and four colossal figures representing 
the Ganges, the Nile, the La Plate and the Danube. The 
other fountains are less ornamented, but each of the three, 
discharges water enough for the comsumption of the city. 
The sluices which conduct away the superabundant water 
are frequently stopped during the heat of summer, when 
the whole of this beautiful square is instantaneously in- 
undated. We were surprised to find it disgraced with 
crowds of beggars, and masses of filth. 

The fine area on one side of the principal fountain was 
filled with stalls, containing old clothes, pieces of rusty 
iron, and boiled chesnuts, exposed for sale. And all the 
northern quarter of the square is filled with beggars and 



176 

market men, stalls containing fruits, maccaroni, and many 
odd combinations, such as would be found in no country 
but Italy, and in no city except Rome. In Naples and 
Palermo, I have observed similar wretchedness, and filth, 
bat not surrounded by magnificence to be compared with 
that of the palaces of the place Navone. 

We next examined some of the most entire of the 
triumphal arches. These buildings were intended as 
durable monuments, and are nearly undefaced, except 
where they have suffered by violence. They are prin-- 
cipaliy interesting as historical monuments both of the 
events which they commemorate, and of the state of the 
arts at the various periods in which they were erected. 
Nine triumphal arches are standing in Rome, and most of 
them, entire. The arch of Septimus Severius and of Con- 
stantine the Great, are among the most perfect of the an- 
cient edifices. The arch of Constantine is near the Coli- 
eeum. It is an oblong square, built with white marble^ 
and ornamented with eight corinthian columns, which 
support an attic and eight sculptured figures, represent- 
ing Dacians, and relating to the victory of Trajan over 
those people. Between the columns, and on the front of 
the attic, are beautiful bas relievos commemorating the 
actions of Trajan, executed in a style very superior to 
any sculpture of the period of Constantine. It was erect- 
ed with the materials of a despoiled arch of Trajan, and 
the admirable plan of the original was preserved in the 
imitation. The sculpture upon such parts of the arch as 
are not filled with the spoils of the arch of Trajan, is in a 
miserable style of execution, and shows how much the 
arte had dechned in the days of Constantine, 



177 

The arch of Septimus Severius is upon a plan similar 
to this, though it is not considered as perfect. They arc 
nearly of the same size, and have each three gates, or 
arches ; through the largest the victor passed at the time 
of his triumph. The bas relievos upon all the arches, 
contain subjects relating to the triumph, in commemora- 
tion of which they were erected. 

Near the arch of Janus Quadro Fronta, we examined 
the celebrated sewer, the Cloaca Maxima. This great 
conduit still remains nearly entire, and the style of its 
much admired masonry, fully exposed to view. All the 
small sewers of ancient Rome were brought together near 
the arch of Janus, and formed a common stream in the 
Cloaca Maxima, which extends to the Tiber in a straight 
direction, a distance of about 750 feet. This subterrane- 
ous passage is considered one of the greatest wonders of 
ancient architecture. It has been particularly admired on 
account of the boldness and beauty of the arch which 
forms its roof.* 

As we returned from the arch of Janus, we passed the 
church of St. Theodore, formerly the temple of Romulus. 
Like all the temples which have survived the dark ages, 

* The arch is turned with larg-e stones, and no cement was 
used in the constructioii of the walls. The arches of the Water- 
loo bridge in London are, liowever, quite as great, and its ma- 
sonry, or the material of which it is constructed, in no respect 
inferior to the Cloaca Maxima. I may also make a similar com- 
parison with the bridge of Jena at Paris; with the bridge at Ly- 
ons, and with several other buildings of modem construction* 
The advance of modern art towards perfection, has carried us 
back to a mere imitation of the simplicity of Roman designs. 
When Rome had reached the height of lier glory, slie had just 
learned to copy the durable simplicity of Grecian edifices. 



178 

this building- owes its preservation to its having been con- 
secrated as a church. The outer walls are modern, but 
there are some columns in the inside of the rotunda, 
which doubtless belonged to the temple of Romulus; 
One of the monks in the church of St. Theodore offer- 
ed to sell us a carnelian upon which was a representa- 
tion of Romulus and Remus, with the wolf, extremely 
well engraved. He assured us it was ancient, and found 
among the ruins of the Forum, but we are not connois- 
seurs enough to venture upon any purchases of this kind ; 
more especially, as we have been frequently cautioned 
against deception. The same monk had also a collection 
of coins and medals, which would have been a tempting 
bait to antiquarians. 



LETTER XXIV. 

Baths of Caracalla — Tomb of Cecilia MeteUa — Sah' 

bath Catacombs of St, Sebastian Fountain of 

Egeria. 

We commenced our morning excursion at the extensive 
ruins of the Baths of Caracalla, situated in the plain be- 
tween the Aventine mount and Mount Coelius. *' JVo 
*' monument of ancient architecture is calculated to in- 
" spire such an exalted idea of Roman magnificence, as 
" the ruins of their thermae or baths. Many remain in a 
^' greater or less degree of preservation ; such as those of 
" Titus, Diocletian, and Caracalla. To give the untrav- 
*' elled reader some notion of these prodigious piles, I will 
" confine my observations to the latter, as the greatest 
" in extent, and the best preserved ; for though it be en- 



179 

** tirely stripped of its pillars, statues and ornaments, 
" both internal and external, yet its walls still stand, and 
** its constituent parts and principal apartments are evi- 
*' dently distinguishable. 

*' The length of the thermae of Caracalla was one thou- 
*' sand eight hundred and forty feet, its breadth one thou- 
" sand four hundred and seventy-six. At each end were 
** two temples, one to Apollo, and the other to TEscula- 
" pius, as the " genii tutelares" of a place sacred to the 
" improvement of the mind and to the care of the bod}^ 
" The other temples were dedicated to the two protecting 
*' divinities of the Antonine family, Hercules and Bac- 
*' chus. In the principal building were, in the first place, 
" a grand circular vestibule with four halls on each side, 
*' for cold, tepid, warm, and steam baths ; in the centre 
*' was an immense square, for exercise when the weather 
" was unfavorable in the open air; beyond it a great hall, 
"^ where sixteen hundred marble seats were placed for the 
" convenience of the bathers ; at each end of this hall 
" were libraries. This building terminated on both sides 
" in a court surrounded with porticos, with an odeum for 
" music, and in the middle a capacious basin for swim- 
•' ming. 

" Round this edifice were walks shaded by rows of 
" trees, particularly the plane ; and in its front extended 
" a gymnasium for running, wrestling, &c. in fine wea- 
** ther. The whole was bounded by a vast portico open- 
*' ing into exedrae or spacious halls, where poets de- 
** claimed, and philosophers gave lectures. 

" This immense fabric was adorned within and without 
<* with pillars, stucco work, painting and statues. The 
*•' stucco and paintings, though faintly indeed, are yet iu 



180 

•^^ many places perceptible. Pillars have been dug up, 
** and some still remain amidst the ruins. While the 
*' Farnesian Bull, and the famous Hercules found in one 
** of these halls, announce the multiplicity and beauty 
** of the statues which once adorned the thermae of Cara- 
" calla. The flues and reservoirs for water still remain. 
*' The height of the pile was proportioned to its extent, 
" and still appears very considerable, even though the 
" scround be raised at least twelve feet above its ancient 
*' level. It is now changed into vineyards, and gardens ; 
*' its high massive walls form separations, and its limy 
" ruins spread over the surface, burn the soil, and check 
" its natural fertiHty." 

In the midst of these ruins we found an Englishrfian 
engaged in taking sketches of the decayed walls and brok- 
en arches. We next walked to the tomb of the Scipios, a 
cemetery, which had been lately uncovered. The ex- 
cavation opens into a suit of subterraneous chambers, 
where we found, a number of urns and Sarcophagi with 
latin inscriptions. Several valuable urns, containing the 
ashes of the Scipios, have been removed to the Vatican. 
We passed the gate of St. Sebastian, and continued our 
walk three miles beyond the walls of the city to the tomb 
of Cecilia Metella. This is a beautiful circular building 
about forty feet in height and ninety in circumference. 
It is formed of Tiburtine stone, and is nearly entire. In 
the centre is a small cavity in which was deposited the 
urn of Cecilia. But it has been removed from its place, 
and was pointed out to us two or three days since in the 
vestibule of the Farnese palace. The urn has also been 
removed from the tomb of Caius Cestius. This tomb is 
a pyramid near the gate called Porto Paolo. The mau- 



181 

soleuni of Aug'uslus, is au ampliitheatre for bull baiting". 
That of Adrian, is metamorphosed into the modern fort 
of St. Ang-elo. The porphyry urn of the daughter of 
Constantine the Great, has not been allowed to remain in 
the temple erected for it by a father. Such are the facts 
which force themselves upon our minds, when we begin 
to enquire about the remains of the illustrious dead of 
Rome. 

Near the tomb of Cecilia Metella, Vasi's book directed 
us to the circus of Caracalla and the ruins of the stables 
connected with it. The circus, is so entire that the form 
of the outer wall can be traced, as well as the whole plan 
of the field, the goal and the triumphal arch, through 
which the victor retired. The walls of the building, 
which is indeed a vast amphitheatre, were built wholl}'- 
with brick. It is in the form of an clipsis, one thousand 
six hundred and two feet long, and five hundred and 
fifty wide. 

March 9.— 'There were a greater number of people col- 
lected at St. Peters this morning, than we have usually ob- 
served. The weather was fine, and it being the Sabbath, 
those who expected to ride in the Corso, or walk in the 
public garden at Monte Pinciano, made it a part of their 
morning's arrangement, to spend a short time afSt. Pe- 
ters. Several Cardinals, with their splendid carriages, 
and servants in red liveries, joined the company in the 
Corso. Being at Rome we do as the Romans do, and of 
course frequent their places of resort on Sunday, While 
walking in the garden of Monte Pinciano, l.ucien Bona- 
part was pointed out to us. He was unattended, and his 
presence not particularly noticed, by the Italians or the 
English. By far the greatest number of the people who 



182 

Goiislitute the crowds in all public places are English. We 
are assured there are fifteen hundred of them at present 
in this cily. We observed also several Germans, Swedes, 
Danes and Prussians. Rome is the resort of learned men 
of all nations, and it would be impossible to form an idea 
of the nation, or race to which individuals belong whom 
you ordinarily meet in the public places. The Roman 
citizens are lost in the great crowd of foreigners, and we 
notice as little of the peculiar dress, phiziognomy and 
manners of the Italians, as of the English, French, 
and Germans, in the streets of Rome. 

March 10. — We met Mr. Hinckley, an American gen° 
tleman, and his daughter at the Catacombs, and spent 
two or three hours in exploring some of the dark gal- 
leries of those extensive cemeteries ; but our curiosity 
was soon satisfied with viewing the remains of human 
decay, and traversing by the dim light of a torch, so 
many narrow and damp galleries. Some of the apart- 
ments are indeed so extensive that they served as places 
of retreat for the persecuted christians ; it is said by 
the Romans, that the Catacombs are rendered sacred, 
by the ashes of an innumerable congregation of saints 
and martyrs. The excavations have been made in the 
same manner as the Catacombs at Naples. Having left 
this gloomy abode we visited, a second time, the tomb 
of Cecilia Mi^tella, and examined the ruins of the circus 
of Caracalla. 

In the centre of the area of this circus are the ruins of a 
temple dedicated to the sun ; near the south end stands a 
broken obelisk, which was the goal. The principal gate, 
is a triumphal arch, which remains nearly entire. Our 
next excursion was to the temple of Ridicule, and the 



183 

fountain of Egeria. The temple of Ridicule is curious, on 
account of its singular construction, and the perfect 
preservation of the ornamental work upon its walls which 
are entirely of burned clay; even the pilasters, with their 
capitals were made of this material, and iiave survived, 
almost undefaced, the lapse of about two thousand years. 
The fountain of Egeria was once, no doubt, a delicious 
retreat, but is at present in a state of neglect and ruin. 
A small fountain yet rises in the side of a steep bank, and 
is surrounded by an artificial grotto containing broken 
niches, capitals and fragments of statues. This fountain 
is finely described by Lord Byron, whose pencil embodies 
so much of the peculiar beauty of the scenery llsat I can- 
not resist the occasion of quoting his characteristic and 
finished sketch. 

Eg-eria! sweet creation of some lic.irt 

^Vhich found no mortal resting place so fair 
As thine ideal breast ; what e'er thou art 

Or wert — a young Aurora of the air. 

The nympholepsy of some fond despair ; 
Or, it might be, a beauty of the earth, 

Who found a more than common votary there. 
Thou wert a beautiful thought and softly bodied forth. 

The mosses of thy fountain still are sprinkled 
With thine Elysian water drops ; the face 

Of thy cave-guarded spring, with years unwrinkled. 
Reflects the meek eyed genius of the place. 
Whose green, wild margin now no more erase 

Arts works ; nor must the delicate waters sleep. 
Prisoned in marble, bubbling from the base 
Of the cleft statue, with a gentle leap 
The rill runs o'er, and round, fern, flowers, and Ivy creer,. 

Fantastically tangled ; the green hills 
Are clothed with earl\ blossoms, through the grass 



ia4 

The quick eyed Hzard rustles, and the bills 

Of summer birds sing welcome as ye pass ; 

Flowers fresh in hue and many in their class^ 
Implore the passing step, and with their dyes 

Dance in the soft breeze in a fairy mass ; 

The sv/eetness of the violet's, deep blue eyes, 
Kiss'd by the breath of heaven, seems coloured by its skies 

A ride to St. Paul's church beyond the walls, and a 
visit to the tomb of Caius Cestius finished our day's work. 
The church of St. Pauls, is larger than any one in 
Rome except St. Peters, and has remained longer with- 
out repairs, than any one of the churches. It is orna- 
mented- with pillars of granite, and variegated marble^ 
which were taken from the mausoleum of Adrian and 
other ancient edifices. Its pavement consists of flat stones 
of irregular shape, fragments of columns, &;c. One of its 
fronts is ornamented with coarse mosaic work ; it was 
erected in the fifth century. What attracted our par-> 
ticular observation, was the fact, that the bed of the 
Tiber has risen so much, in consequence of alluvial de- 
positions, as to overflow the pavement of this church, and 
to render it uninhabitable. Perhaps this circumstance 
will account, in some degree, for the increase of the au- 
tumnal intermittent, called Malaria, which is yearly be« 
coming more frequent, and threatens to depopulate Rome* 

The pyramid of Caius Cestius is not far from this ven*. 
erable church. It is perfectly entire, but its foundatioii- 
is twelve or fourteen feet below the present surface of the 
earth. 



185 



LETTER XXV, 



Palace Farnese — Cassino do,— Paintings — The Mar- 
quis Canova — Tulwulson, a Danish artist — Ponte 
Lamentano — The sacred hill. 

The Palace Farnese, situated in the place of the same 
name, is considered the most perfect edifice of the kind 
iu Rome. We spent the morning in its principal gallery, 
which is painted in fresco by Annibal Caracci. The Her- 
cules of Glycon, the groupe called the Toro, and many 
other celebrated pieces of sculpture, which formerly or- 
namented this palace have been removed to Naples. The 
paintings of Caraeci, in the principal gallery, which is 
sixty-two by nineteen feet, measure of Paris, are consider- 
ed the master productions of that painter. The most not- 
ed picture in the vanlt, is the triumph of Bacchus and 
Ariadne, represented in two cars, surrounded by fauns, 
bacchantes, and satyrs. 

Tn the next compartment, the god Pan, offers the fleeses 
of bis sheep to Diana— Mercury presents to Paris the 
golden apple— Gallatea, with a troop of nymphs, tritons 
and cupids, drives a sea monster — Polyphemus plays 
upon a pastoral pipe to charm Gallatea. The same giant 
discovers Acis with Gallatea and throws a rock at him, in 
jealousy and rage— Jupiter receives Juno into his nup- 
tial bed — Diana caresses Endymion, sleeping — Prome- 
theus animating a statue— Hercules slaying the dragon 
which guarded the garden of Hesperides— The flight of 
Icarus— The pregnancy of Calisto, discovered in the bath. 
I enumerate these subjects, to show the manner, of a de- 
scription of paintings, which has demanded the skill and 
q2 



jabor of the most celebrated artists of Italy. The siab- 
jects of all the great productions of the pencil, are select- 
ed from scripture, or from classic fable. The latter is 
better adapted to the decoration of palaces. 

We saw to-day, a collection of similar paintings at the 
Cassino Farnese, upon the walls of an apartment nearly 
of the same size as that we have just noticed, paint- 
ed by Raphael. The story which that great master 
has chosen for the display of his inimitable skill, is 
the loves and marriage, of Cupid and Ps.yche. In the 
first compartment, Venus complains to the graces of the 
desertion of Cupid and his love for Psyche. This groupe 
is peculiarly adapted to the display of the excellencies 
which distinguish the paintings of Raphael. In deline- 
ations of the female form, unincumbered with drapery, 
he is entirely unrivalled. This picture is considered a 
model of all that is most perfect in his manner. In the 
next picture, Venus, vexed by the replies of the graces, 
and filled with the most serious resentment, rides in her 
car, drawn by doves, toward the court of Jupiter. The 
next is her interview with the god, who listens to her 
complaint, more for the sake of her beauty, than on ac- 
count of the merits of her cause. Mercury is next dis- 
patched to remonstrate with the young couple ; his inter- 
cession avails nothing, and in the next compartment he of- 
fers the cup of immortality to Venus, as a compensation 
for the loss of her favorite. This she rejects with the 
most serious disdain. The story progresses regularly, 
until a convocation of deities is assembled, and a decision 
obtained in favor of the lovers, who are married, and the 
1^'hole eoncludes with a feast— worthy of gods. The plot 



187 

is pretty, and told with an astoiiisliing degree of playful- 
ness and animation. 

I have never seen a painting with more pleasure. 
There is no attempt to produce an effect above the sphere 
of the pencil ; no Deity is delineated, except Jupiter and 
his famihar satelHtes, whom it is no blasphemy to look 
in the face. The beauty and grace of the female figures 
need no other praise than to say, they were painted by 
Raphael. 

March 12. — After visiting three or four churches, we 
took a carriage to make a short excursion outside of the 
walls, and returned to the school or Studio, of the 
Marquis Canova, and had the good fortune to see that 
celebrated artist engaged at his work. He was finishing 
a Venus, and we did not observe him until he corrected 
Admiral Ferrier, who was mistaken as to the name of a 
statue, which he pointed out to me as a Mars. Canova 
said in bad English, *' It is an Ector," (Hector.) Ad- 
miral Ferrier, had some conversation with him, and he 
pointed out to us, and explained, the remaining statues 
of the gallery. He has a cheerful, good countenance, 
wears spectacles, and is less showy in his manners 
than is common for Italians. He was dressed in a short 
drab sailor's coat, with stockings drawn over his panta- 
loons, and slippers. 

We were surprised to find how small a part of the 
sculpture of statues, was performed by Canova himself. 
The subject is first sketched in crayons, on a diminished 
scale, from which a magnified model of the dimensions of 
the intended statue is moulded in plaister. The sketch 
and model are both done by Canova, and the great mys- 
tery of the art, consists in giving them the proper form 



186 

and proportions. The plaister model is finished with the 
greatest care, and its surface checked with coloured lines 
which intersect one another at right angles. At the points 
of intersection are placed small pins of brass with round- 
ed heads, which serve as points from which the scholar 
can measure with his dividers, and convey to the marble 
the dimensions of the statue. This plaister model is plac- 
ed near the block from which the statue is to be sculp- 
tured, and the most bungling workman can reduce the 
marble, to a shape that bears some resemblance to it. The 
statue next goes into the hands of a scholar more ad- 
vanced, and last of all receives the finish of the master. 

The Marquis Canova is undoubtedly the first artist of 
his age. Italy has never boasted his superior in statuary. 
Such at least is the opinion of many connoisseurs of the 
present day. As far as I have observed I see no reasori 
to dissent from the opinion. It is to be recollected that 
the best statues of Italy are of Grecian sculpture, and that 
the Italians do not pretend to compare the productions of 
their own country, with those master pieces. 

Tolwalson, a Danish artist, ranks next to Canova, and 
is probably, next to him, the greatest sculptor of his day. 
Bonaparte deemed him worthy of decided patronage. His 
Statues are, however, smooth and coldly correct, without 
possessing the life and spirit of those of Canova. 

We rode through the gate called Porto Pia, and cross- 
ed the Trber to the ** Sacred Hi?l,'* where the Roman 
debtors fortified themselves in the time of the Consuls, 
many years before the christian era, and resisted the 
execution of the laws, until they compelled the weal- 
thy citizens to treat with them on such terms as they 
chose to dictate. Vestiges of their fortifications are sup- 



189 

posed to remain to this day. While we were walking" 
upon tlie lonely hill, which has no walls, shrubs, or hu« 
man habitation to relieve its solitude, a fox started from 
the ruins and escaped across the dreary canipagua. 



LETTER XXVI. 

The statues of Rome — An ancient statue of St. Peter— ^ 
Modern sculpture compared with ancient — The ear- 
liest productions of Canova — Statues sculptured hy 
him at St» Peters and the Vatican — The tomb of 
Tasso — Magnijicence of modern Rome — Modern ar^ 
vhitecture — St. Carlos — Hospitals — A morning at 
St, Peters. 

March 1-3. — The statues of Rome would afford a sub- 
ject for the study, of a whole life. The variety of ancient 
sculpture is endless ; from the highest degree of excellence 
— the perfection of the Apollo, down to the bronze St. Pe- 
ter, whose toe, it is the custom of the good cathoHcs to 
salute, once or twice, every day of their lives. I have not 
learned what circumstance in the history of this statue 
has rendered it such a favored object ; but it is, never- 
theless, true, that not only a toe, but more than half of 
one of the feet is worn away by the kisses of its admirers. 
This statue stands by the side of the nave, in one of the 
niches of the pediment which forms a part of the transept, 
and deserves almost to be called, the idol of the temple. 
The priests, the monks, the cardinals, the ladies ; all 
who go in to worship, without excepting even his Holi- 
ness, kiss the toe of St, Peter as habitually, and regular- 



190 

iy, as they bow down upon their knees before the altars, 
or cross themselves with the holy water. 

This statue is valued on account of some associalioii 
entirely independent of the merit of its sculpture. Among 
all the intermediate grades of excellence between it, and 
the Apollo, we have seen no production of Italian artists, 
superior to those of Cano%^a. The statues sculptured by 
him at St. Peters, and the Vatican, were the object of our 
excursion this morning. 

Since the time of Trajan it is very generally allowed, 
there has been no school of sculpture equal to the present; 
not excepting those distinguished artists whose talents 
were elicited by the patronage of Lorenzo de Medicis, 
Leo X. and Cosmo. The learned men now at Rome pro- 
nounce the works of Canova, superior to the productions 
of Ghiberti, Donatelli, John of Bologna, or Michael An- 
gelo ; whether with justice, we shall be better able to 
judge when we have seen more of their productions. 

In the statues of Canova we can plainly perceive a pro- 
gressive and rapid improvement. The Romans say there 
is something divine in the genius of Italians, which only 
requires to be called forth by patronage, to command the 
admiration, and astonishment of mankind. Their suc- 
cess in the cultivation of the fine arts shows them to be 
superior in one department of genius, and I have na 
doubt, if their political importance was increased by an 
energetic government, they would prove themselves as 
capable of greatness, in every pursuit. 

In every thing that relates to taste, they are allowed to 
be superior, A classic purity characterizes many of their 
productions ; it distinguishes their painting, sculpture. 



191 

yhusic ; the imposing- ceremonies of their religion, and 
even their manners and external deportment. 

One of the fii-st works of Conova, \7hich spread his 
fame over Europe, was a statue of Religion, now at St. 
Peters. It is a colossal female figure, covered vnth hea- 
vy draper}^ having around her head, a glory or halo ; 
sculptured in marble. The imitation of the radiation of 
light around the heads of saints, and allegorical figures, 
originated, I believe, with the painters, but it certainly 
has a very singular, if not a bad appearance, in statuary. 
Michael Angelo, aware of the incongruous effect of plac- 
ing radii of marble to represent light, has given the head 
of Moses two small horns, as a substitute ; and an unin- 
formed person would, from this circumstance, suppose it 
a Jupiter Amnion. 

The next great production of Canova was a sepul- 
chral monument. It consists of the statue of a late 
Pope kneeling in his pontifical robe, in the attitude of 
pronouncing a blessing ; two lions couchant, indicating 
power ; and the genius of sorrow, holding an inverted, 
torch, and contemplating the groupe ; symbolical of 
mourning for the deceased. The statue in drapery has 
the same fault as that of Religion, above mentioned, but 
the figure is better, and the attitude easy and natural. 
The lions are noble, powerful animals. Sorrow, with 
his inverted torch, has the purity and spirit of Grecian 
statuary, and could have been formed, only by a genius 
of the very first order. 

The Boxers at the Vatican — two naked figures, show- 
ing the muscles in vigorous action ; combine the bold- 
ness, and energy, of Michael Angelo, with the softness of 
the pictures of Raphael, and the animation of living be- 



192 

Higs ; the Perseus is his master piece. It seems io 
have no fault except that of being an imitation. In 
height, attitude, and the character of its action, it re- 
sembles the Apollo of Belvidere. The combat is past 
—Perseus has slain the Medusa, and holds the head 
in his hand. The expression of the whole figure is the 
exultation of victory— the exultation of a god. There is 
calmness, serenity ; power, reposing in limbs that com- 
bine beauty and strength ; a celestial dignity, an aspect 
which chains the beholder to the spot, and delights every 
faculty. It has been thought worthy of a place near the 
Apollo, in an adjoining gallery of the same dimensions. 

March 14.— In the chapel of a small church near St* 
Peters, called St. Ornofio, is the tomb of Torquato Tasso» 
That celebrated poet died in the neighboring convent, 
A priest showed us the apartment where he expired. 
The first time we visited this chapel was on the Sabbath, 
and we found the doors shut. It is situated in an un- 
frequented street, and the grass has grown over the flag 
stones near it. When we presented ourselves at the door 
on Sunday, we saw no person ; but after waiting con- 
siderable time, heard a noise in an adjoining yard, 
and when we went to it, found several young men in the 
habit of monks, playing a game of ball. It was not with- 
out some difficulty, nor until we had offered him money, 
that we could pursuade one of them who had the keys, to 
leave his amusement and show us the grave of the poet. 
We intended to have been at the church at the time mass 
was performed, but it was deserted by its inhabitants* 
The inmates were enjoying the holiday abroad. 

March 15. — Rome contains more than three hundred 
ati(3 fifty churches, each of which has been deemed worthy 



193 

of a separate description in Vasi's book. It would be 
useless to speak of them in detail, but their number, 
and the fact that each is considered worthy of the curiosi- 
ty of strangers, serves to give an idea of the present 
magnificence of the city. Modern Rome also contains, 
forty six squares, five monumental pillars, ten obelisks, 
thirteen fountains, twenty-two mausoleums, and one hun- 
dred and fifty palaces. The squares are ornamented ei- 
ther with fountains, obelisks, columns or statues ; and the 
palaces all distinguished by the style of their archi- 
tecture, the richness of their galleries, or the splendor 
of the gardens which surround them. Yet the ruins of 
ancient Rome are so extensive that when viewed from the 
domes, and the towers of the Capitol, they seem to occupy 
as much ground as the modern buildings. The walls 
erected by Julius Caesar, although constructed with 
brick, remain nearly entire, and from the highest tower 
on the Capitoline hill, can be seen in their whole extent, 
enclosing the splendid edifices of the modern city and the 
ruins of the old. Rome contains a population of one hun- 
dred and fifty thousand ; but the impression of the spec- 
tator from this or any other commanding height, is that 
he is viewing a city in ruins*. 

* Notwithstanding the ruinous appearance of Rome, it con- 
tains more magnificence than any city in Europe. The wealth 
of London and Paris is directed to other, and more useful pur- 
poses than that of erecting palaces and temples. There are 
several streets in Rome superior to any in Paris or London. 
The new town of Edinburgh can boast an extent of beau- 
tiful edifices, and wide streets, superior to either of the a- 
bove named cities ; but tliey will not compare with the palaces 
ofRome. 

R 



194 

March 10. — After spending the day in viewing palaces 
and temples, we entered a beautiful chapel on the Qnirinal 
hill, dedicated to St. Andrew. It has been recently built, 
and affords a proper specimen of the architecture of the 
present time. It is a rotundo, with a small portico, and 
ornamented inside with large pilasters of yellow marble 
and gildings. The altar is placed in a deep recess, and 
decorated with four fluted corinthian columns of the 
same marble. These columns are large and high, perhaps 
too much so, for perfect proportion. The building is 
remarkably simple in design ; and notwithstanding the 
whole surface is covered with gilding and rich marble, the 
walls look naked, compared with most of the churches. 
This is quite the present style. In a palace lately erect- 
ed by a rich banker, we noticed a stair case of white mar- 
ble without any sculpture ; and pilasters highly polished 
without even regular capitals. In avoiding one extreme, 
it is very natural to fall into another. An excess of orna- 
ment has been said to be the fault of modern architects, 
since Michael Angelo ; an affectation of simplicity may 
be called the leading defect of the present school, 

March 18. — St. Carlos, in the Corso, is a spacious mod~ 
ern church, ornamented with columns and pilasters, of 
stucco in imitation of marble. These stucco ornaments, 
are another description of architectural decoration which 
may be called of modern fashion. The floor of St. Carlos 
is paved with very rich inlaid marble, or modern mosaic, 
representing escutcheons, griflins, dragons, death's heads 
and skeletons. The colours of the marble are unusually 
bright, and the odd devises traced upon it appear like large, 
boldly executed pictures. In the roof of the church is 
painted in fresco, a representation of the expulsion of the 



195 

Angels from heaven. We learned in the morning- that 
there was to be a ceremony at this church, and some fine 
music. A sermon was preached by a Benedictine, to a 
large audience ; but in the music we were disappointed. 

Near the gate of the people, Porto Jcf popuh, is a large 
hospital, called the hospital of incurables. It is not divid- 
ed into wards, and we have noticed this arrangement in 
nearly all the hospitals at Rome and Naples. This hos- 
pital contains about fifty patients, whose beds are all ar- 
ranged in one large well ventilated apartment. At a hos- 
pital near St. Peters, there are about three hundred sick 
in one apartment ; and in another near St. John Lateran, 
about half that number. We have noticed in all the hos- 
pitals persons in the habit of priests, attending the sick, 
and administering to their wants and necessities. In this 
city, we have observed four 'iarge hospitals, besides the 
charities more immediately connected with monastic es- 
tablishments. 

March 19. — While examining some mosaics and sepul- 
chral monuments by Vasi's book at St. Peters, the Pope 
came in with his attendants, and after saluting the brazen 
toe, knelt before one of the altars, and remained about half 
an hour. The presence of his Holiness did not divert the 
people from their various pursuits. There were proba- 
bly, a thousand persons, foreigners and Italians, accident- 
ally present, though it was not the time of day to expect 
any religious ceremony. St. Peters is at all times fre- 
quented as a promouade ; but the usual fashion of pub- 
lic walks, that of visiting them only in the afternoon, is 
not adhered to in this charming place, The morning visit- 
ors, indeed, have the bustling air of business, and are dili- 



196 

gently examining pictures and sculpture, with some irav<- 
filer's guide in their hand, or some learned Ciceroni by 
their side. All that is peculiar to the edifices of Rome, 
relating to architecture, sculpture or painting, is found 
in the greatest perfection at St. Peters. The work in mo- 
saic is much superior in its execution to that of any other 
church. This art was cultivated by the ancients, yet they 
did not pretend to copy fine paintings, but employed it for 
the pavement of houses, as at Herculaueum. When it 
had been for a long time lost, and again discovered after 
the revival of learning, it was made with coloured glass, 
and employed to ornament roofs, and to execute imita- 
tions of coarse paintings, as at Mt. Real in Sicily; or to 
decorate the outside of buildings, as in the ancient church 
of St. Pauls, beyond the wall. In St. Peters the master 
pieces of painting are copied with so much accurac}^ that 
at a little distance, they can hardly be distinguished from 
the originals. They will remain without change or 
decajr, as long as the wall to which they are attached 
is entire ; perhaps as long as the pantheon has stood, 
or the world shall endure. On the contrary, paintings 
in oil, in spite of every precaution, are defaced by 
.^ge, become tarnished, and moulder, so as to loose their 
value. Fresco paintings, upon stucco, last longer than 
those in oil ; but the delicate surface of plaister is liable to 
be changed by moisture, and the colours fall off with the 
small scales that become detached, and the picture is 
consequently defaced. The mosaics of St. Peters are 
more accurate imitations of painting in oil colours than 
the best executed Frescos. In paintings of the latter des- 
cription, the different shades do not blend so perfectly as 
in oil, and the outlines have the fault which connoisseurs 



197 



and artists call dryness. As the mosaics are made with 
stones of the natural colour they do not fade. The polish- 
ed surface of variegated marble, is alike unchanged by 
exposure to light, humidity, and the lapse of time. St. 
Peters is lined throughout with polished marble, mosaics 
and rich gildings, except the breaks, projections and re- 
cesses, which are filled with statues, columns, medalions, 
altars, and sepulchral monuments. It will serve to give 
some idea of the magnitude, as well as magnificence, of 
this unrivalled temple, to state that the length of tlie area, 
or hall, thus decorated, is about seven hundred feet, its 
width at the transept five hundred, and its height little 
short of four hundred feet. The light admitted from 
the domes, is neither dazzling, nor obscure; but exhib- 
its every ornament in its proper character, and sheds a 
tempered lustre upon the splendors of this wonderful 
scene. 

March 25. — Early in the morning of the 20th we start- 
ed on foot for Tivoli, eighteen miles distant from Rome. 
It had rained during the night, and the agreeable coolness 
of the air rendered the walk delightful. The Campagna 
is in the dress of spring. Indeed it can hardly be said 
there is any winter at Rome. Since our arrival, 1 believe 
there has been no frost. The fields are always green, 
and the quantity of grass produced in the winter season, 
is nearly equal t© the growth of summer. The Campasf- 
na, however, is so much neglected that grass will hardly 
grow upon it. AVhere the soil is most barren, it is cov- 
ered with a brown moss, or no vegetation. This vast 
waste has no walls, hedges, buildings, or shades, to re- 
lieve the sameness of its dreary solitude. The soil would 
admit of cultivation, and no doubt reward it, by furnish- 
r2 



198 

ing bread enough to feed the poor of Rome, and at the 
same time diminish the causes of the destructive Malaria. 

The Anio winds through the Campagna in a thousand 
meanders, and is almost all the time in view from the 
road ta Tivoli ; there is a mixture of beauty and dreari- 
ness in the scenery vrhich surrounds it. The Campagna 
is a field of desolation and solitude, which affords an ex- 
ample of the decay of human grandeur, and compels 
the imagination to wander back to the ages when it was 
peopled. We feel in viewing it that peculiar pleasure, 
which arises from the contemplation of ruin. Perhaps 
we compare it to the desolation of the soul, the anihila- 
tio» of its early promises, and the destruction of its hap- 
py dreams. 

Within three miles of Tivoli we passed a small lake, 
remarkable for its petrefactions. The small shrubs, rushes, 
and grasses, which have fallen into this water, have 
become petrified, and retain their natural appearance so 
perfectly, that we could not feel convinced they were 
changed to stone until we had attentively examined them.. 
The petrefactions are encroaching rapidly upon the little 
lake, and will probably, entirely fill it up in a few years. 
A short distance from this lake is another beautiful sheet 
of water highly impregnated with sulphur, which gives rise 
to a considerable stream. From this lake a canal was cut 
to the Anio, by the Cardinal d'Este, whose villa we after- 
wards visited at Tivoli. This drain prevented the sul- 
phurous lake from overflowing the adjacent country. The 
water has a blueish colom*; its odour taints the air for 
several miles ; and it deposits so much stony matter, that 
the canal is encrusted, and has the appearance of be- 
ing excavated through a solid rock. It is in this neigh- 



199 

borhood, and by the petrefactions of these waters, thai 
the celebrated Tivoli or Tiburtine stone is formed. 

After crossing- this vale, which is called Solfatara, we 
again passed the Anio, and soon began to ascend a gentle 
hill, well cultivated and planted with olive trees. The 
mountains are very near, and the surrounding scenery 
bold and beautiful. All the hills in the vicinity, forming 
the commencement of the Apennines, are covered with 
olives. The ascent continues to Tivoli, which is on the 
point of a considerable hill near the celebrated cataract. 
The Anio approaches the city from the south-east, and 
making a little bend to the north, precipitates its waters 
over a precipice of about forty feet. The water possesses 
a quality similar to that of the tartaiious lake above men- 
tioned ; and has formed immense petrefactions, in shape, 
not unlike the ice which surrounds cascades during the 
winter in cold climates. In this way is formed the cham- 
ber called the Grotto of Neptune. A little distance be- 
low the fall, the river sinks under the rocks, and agariv 
shows itself, foaming and roaring as it escapes, producing 
a wonderful exhibition of beauty and grandeur. This is 
called the Grotto of the Syren, from the confused sound is- 
suing from it, which has been supposed to resemble mu- 
sic. Above the cascade the Anio sends off two small 
streams, which cross the city, and form on the opposite 
side two beautiful cataracts, called Cascadelfa, On a 
i*ock nearly level with the top, and overlooking the great 
fell, stands the temple of the Sybil, one of the most beau- 
tiful ruins in the environs of Rome. It is a small circu- 
lar edifice, surrounded by fluted corinthian columns. On 
the evening of our arrival we saw this delightful spot to 
perfect advantage, and were convinced that no de- 



200 

sciiption can exagerate its beauties. The next morn- 
ing it rained violenllj, and we were thoroughly wet m 
descending; to the grotto of Neptune. In the afternoon 
the weather became fine, and finding some English ac- 
quaintance, we made a party to the villa d'Este, where 
we saw an Italian garden and promonade in their stifFest 
and most characteristic style. The palace, and the orna- 
ments of the garden, were erected about two hundred 
years ago. So much of the work was done in plaister 
that it is now a collection of ruins. In the principal gar- 
den, models were constructed upon a small scale, of the 
most considerable antiquities of Rome ; now more decay* 
ed than the originals. The situation of this villa is un- 
commonly good. I could not but envy some of our com- 
panions their skill in the use of the pencil, who amused 
themselves by taking sketches of Rome, as the clouds 
broke away and showed that venerable city, just as the 
sun was sitting. Mr. and Mrs. Hackwell, whom we 
have often met in our excursions, had been spending 
two or three days at Tivoli, taking sketches to illustrate 
the descriptions of Eustace. 

The next day it rained again, and we expected to have 
passed another night at the wretched inn at Tivoli ; but 
the clouds breaking away at noon, we concluded to take a 
hasty survey of the villa of Adrian and return to Rome. 
Our view of these ruins was consequently hurried and im- 
perfect. We saw few buildings so entire as to give 
us any adequate idea of its ancient magnificence. Little 
can be now seen of this celebrated villa except shapeless 
ruins. Its spoils enrich the museums and palaces of Ita- 
ly ; but its ancient site is an unsatisfactory waste. The 
muses which grace the saloons of the Vatican, the Venu« 



201 

de Medicis, and the Antonous, are among the treasures^ 
which have been recovered from these ruins, and which 
will perpetuate, forever the glory and magnificence of 
Adrian. 

It was now time for us to hasten to Rome, and we hired 
a carriage to return. We were joined by Mr. Hackwell 
and lady, and arrived late and much fatigued. Our servant 
had prepared a fire in our apartments, and welcomed us 
with as much apparent warmth and cordialit}^, as if we 
had been absent on a long' journey and had arrived at 
our own house. 

Marcli 26.— The Capuchins have universally some pe- 
culiarities in their manner of burial ; but I have not seen 
the custom of drying bodies adopted, as in the neighbor- 
hood of Palermo. The cemeteries are generally under 
the churches, and the bones are exposed ; sometimes stand- 
ing in niches, but assorted and arranged in different com- 
partments. The skulls are frequently piled in such a 
manner as to resemble columns ; the ribs and sternums 
are fastened to the walls in the shape of stars; festoons of 
flowers are formed with the spinal bones and bones of the 
hands ; lamps, chandeliers, and a variety ofutejisils with 
the other small bones. These burial places are kept per- 
fectly neat, and used as chapels. 

March 27. — As the holy week approaches the churches 
are undergoing considerable alterations, and receiving 
decorations adapted to the expected ceremonies. The 
pictures are covered from the view of strangers, and all 
the rehgious observances, are attended with unusual pa- 
rade. 

The Annunciation was celebrated to-day at the church 
of St» Maria. The Pope was carried in his pontifical 



202 

chair through several streets, borne upon the shoulders of 
men above the multitude, who received his blessing as 
he passed. Though the church is large, only a small 
comparative number of the people could gain admittance, 
to witness the ceremonies ; and the spectators were kept 
away from the doors by a military guard. 

March 28. — Having finished our first survey of Rome, 
we lounge more leisurely through its streets, and 
crowded galleries. In the throng of interesting objects 
we begin to find our favorites, and to return more fre- 
quently to contemplate some particular ruin, some gallery 
of statues or saloon of paintings. The hundreds of for- 
eigners who reside a short time a-t Rome, make such 
pursuits their principal employment. Alike in their daily 
avocations, the tide of travellers continues to flow, in the 
channel which Vast has marked, though he is by no means 
a profound antiquarian. The minute descriptions and 
details of this writer, serve to direct the researches of the 
learned and unlearned. After completing his mechanical 
tour, it is natural to return where we have been most 
amused and dehghted. Even the glorious collection of 
the Vatican, attracts the visitor again, and again, by a 
few objects. The Apollo, the groupe of Laocoon, the 
Torso, the Perseus, the transfiguration, leave gods and 
goddesses in the rabble, and pictures in the back 
ground. 

In addition to the advantages aflforded to strangers by 
the treasures of art, many of the English make their resi- 
dence at Rome an economical arrangement. I am assur- 
ed that the expenses of a journey to Italy, and return to 
England, with a winter's residence at Rome, can be de- 
frayed for less money than is sufficient to support a gentle- 



203 

i«an during the same length of time in London. Living is 
both excellent and cheap. We dine at a table cVhote for 
about sixty cents ; wine, and a gratuity to the servant in- 
cluded. Our chamber rent, beds, servants, &c. amount 
to little more than two dollars each for a week. Our 
dinner consists of soups, five or six covers of meats^ an 
abundance of vegetables, puddings, tarts, fruits, nuts, and 
a bottle of wine ; and pre alwa^^s good. The hour of 
dining is five o'clock, at which time the company is 
collected by the ringing of a bell ; candles are lighted, 
and the business of the day is supposed to be at an end. 
The table is placed in a spacious hall, and laid for about 
sixty persons, nine-tenths of whom are Englishmen. 
Those who speak French, with ease and fluency, are al- 
lowed, and expected, to sit at the head of the table, where 
all the conversation is carried on. The English seem un- 
willing to speak in their own language, and seldom join 
the conversation, unless it be in half whispers, with the 
persons near them. The French and Italians are much 
superior to the English in manners, and that easy self 
possession which commands respect and attention. In this 
particular, the Austrians, Swedes and Germans resemble 
the English, and seem as much ashamed of their mother 
tongue. 

Notwithstanding the English are so " proud and so 
rich," they yield the first places and the whole conversa- 
tion to the French and Italians, The former, with great 
good nature and inimitable self complacency, look upon 
John Bull with evident contempt. 

The first dish of meat, and the best pudding goes to 
the French and Italians. If an Italian attemps to carve 
he is excessively awkward, as expertness in this business 



204 

belongs to th€ servant ; gentlemen do not consider it ai^ 
accomplishment. The French and Italians make use of 
a silver fork which they hold in their right hand, and 
help the food to the m€uth, with a piece of bread, 
which is held in the fingers of the left, and dabbled into 
the dish to a point of opposition with the fork. They are 
blessed with large mouths, and it is their custom to 
talk when their cheeks are distended with food; show- 
ing in this respect a disregard of cleanliness and de- 
cency, which to English eyes is sufficiently disgusting. 
All drink their wine out of tumblers, with their dinner ; 
not after it, and every man masters his bottle. This is 
not a large allowance, of the light red wine of the 
country, which has not been fortified with brandy, like 
that intended for exportation. A cup of strong coffee is 
handed round after dinner, to those who do not prefer go- 
ing to some neighboring coffee-house. 

The dinner closes the busy part of the day, and we have 
usually spent our evenings in our chambers. The public 
amusements are all suspended until the ceremonies of the 
holy week shall be past, and we find it most consistent 
with our views and convenience, to see but little company. 
*********************** 

April 6. — The ceremonies of the passion week com- 
menced on the 30th of March, at the sixtine chapel. The 
number of strangers was so great as to throng all the ave- 
nues, and many could not get admittance. Among those 
who presented themselves at the door there were few Ro- 
mans ; the citizens were civilly foregoing their own privi- 
leges, that the curiosity of strangers might be gratified. 
The Cardinals, and subordinate dignitaries of the church, 
and the civil magistrates of Rome were present, and assist- 



205 

«d in the ceremonies, which continued until 12 o'clock. I 
find it will be impossible to detail the particulars of this 
splendid exhibition, and shall attempt no more than the 
mention of a few circumstances. Among the spectators, 
we observed the old King of Spain, with his Queen, Go- 
doy, the King of Etruria, and the Duke of Genoa, 

On the second day, the principal exercise was music, 
commencing at 4 o'clock P. M, at the sixtine chapel. 

On the third day, mass was performed at the same 
chapel, and the Pope gave his benediction from the bal- 
cony, in front of St. Peters, Next followed the ceremony 
of washing the feet of the twelve apostles or pilgrims, and 
the pilgrims dined, while the Pope served at the table. 
The day was closed by the Lamentation and Miserere, 

At the ceremony of washing the feet, his Holiness ap- 
peared exhausted and very ill. Serious apprehensions 
were entertained, that he would not be able to go through 
with his arduous duties. During the dinner, his Holiness 
continued to appear ill, though he persevered in perform- 
ing his part until the ceremonies of the day were ended. 

On Friday, as there were no ceremonies until evening, 
we improved the morning in making an excursion to Fres- 
cati, about twelve miles from Rome, This village is situ- 
ated upon a hill which is a continuation of the Alban 
mount. To the south and east of Frescati, the mountains 
rise in irregular and broken ridges to great elevation. 
This place has been j«stly admired for the beauty and 
variety of its scenery. In this particular it is certainly 
equal to Tivoli, and it would be difficult to find in any 
part of the world, a place which combines more grand and 
beautiful objects. Every country has its peculiar and 
characteristic features, and nature in all her grand and 

s 



206 

woncitrful operations, never fatigues ns with monoton}^ ; 
never repeats her beautiful forms, without creating new 
objects of wonder and admiration. A» short excursion of 
twelve miles had transported us from the bustle and con- 
fusion of Rome to a charming and delightful solitude ; and 
we were glad to escape from the crowd, to breathe for 
a few hours, the uncontaminated mountain air. The ob- 
ject of our excursion was to find the ruins of ancient Tus- 
culum, situated beyond the delightful village of Frescati, 
The walls of this ancient city, and the ruins of its edijfices, 
are almost levelled to the ground, and in many places, are 
covered with turf; though the great quantity of lime and 
broken stones sometimes covers the soil, and prevents 
vegetation. Not a single edifice remains in such a degree 
of preservation that its plan can be traced. Upon the 
site of the ancient city, and for considerable distance 
around it, are no cultivated fields shades or habitations ; 
but an extended waste sacred to forgetfulnes and annihi- 
lation ! 

We returned to Frescati, through the villa of Lucien 
Bonaparte. It is finely situated, and in its plan, differs 
considerable from the other villas we have seen. The 
ground possesses considerable irregularity of surface, and 
the design in the distribution of trees, water, &c. has 
been, to imitate the wildness and variety of natural scen- 
ery, A fine hill, has received the name of Mount Par- 
nassus, and is covered with a luxuriant growth of myrtle, 
ilex, and cypress. Upon one side is a gradual ascent, on 
•which the names of the most celebrated poets and orators, 
are written in vegetable mosaic, formed with box wood, 
cut close to the ground. On the top of the hill stands 
Apollo, a very good copy of the Apollo of Belriderc, 



207 

under the shade of a row of large myrtles, and surround- 
ed by unoccupied niches for the nine, muses. We de- 
scended the mount on the opposite side, through paths 
uhich are purposely neglected, and made difficult by ar- 
tificial intricacies. 

We returned to Rome in season to see the ceremonies 
at the sixtine cliapel and St. Peters. The number of 
spectators was greater than at any time before ; and the 
exhibitions of the evening particularly calculated to amuse 
and delight the multitude. At eight o'clock a brazen 
cross about sixty feet in length, covered on all sides with 
many thousand glass lamps, was suspended from the cen* 
tre of the dome of St. Peters ; at the same lime all other 
lights were extinguished, and the eyes of twenty thousand 
christians directed to this cross of fire ; the standard of 
their faith. The faces of the gazing multitude ; the arches, 
fretted roof, and sculptured monuments, borrowed their 
light from the symbol of the hope of all nations. Beyond 
its influence all was night, and darkness — even the lamps 
of the tomb were extinguished ; the hope of the dead, 
descended into the sepulchre, and the earth was left in 
darkness. No ray of hope beamed upon mankind, except 
from the cross whereno He expired. The ceremonies at 
the sixtine chapel had previously represented the agony of 
the Saviour, and the desertion of his apostles, and prepared 
the minds of the spectators for the exhibition of the cross 
upon which he died. Nothing could have been better 
calculated to rouse the enthusiasm, and animate the hopes 
of tl)e believers, than such a celebration, of the death of 
the Redeemer. 

The exercises of the last day were of a diiierent 
character ; passing from the celebration of the death and 



208 

suffering's of the Saviour, to the holy office and duties of 
his apostle St. Peter; consecrated, according to the catho- 
lic creed, the head and father of the christian church. 
The scene was transferred to the church of St. John La- 
teran. At 7 o'clock in the morning the ceremonies com- 
Kienced. His Hohness pronounced his blessing upon water, 
fire, and the baptismal fount. Next followed the baptism 
of a Jew. A converted Jew is found every year, or made 
a convert for this occasion : several priests and deacons, 
were next ordained, and mass performed, at which his 
Holiness assisted. 

The bells of St. John struck ; a signal for the ringing 
of all the bells in the city, which had been silent for 
several weeks. The discharge of the guns of fort St. 
Angelo, and universal expressions of joy, ended the cere- 
monies. 

The bells had hardly announced the close of the reli- 
gious parade, when the strangers commenced their de- 
parture from Rome. It was a signal of the close of win- 
ter, and of all that is most fashionable and most attrac- 
tive. The birds of passage were on the wing, and wfr 
joined the flock. 



LETTER XXVH. 

Journey to Flor^ence — Civita Castellano- — Travelling 
companions — Otricoli — -Terni — Falls of Terni—^'^ 
Village f He. 

Civita Castellano, 34 miles from Rome, April 7'. 
Having previously formed our party and engaged a 
carriage, we commenced our journey at 6 o'clock, and ai-- 



209 

rived at 5 P. M. at this place. Our carriag'e is similar 
to tliat in which we made the journey from Naples to 
Home, and our mules as slow paced ; but this gives us a 
better opportunity to see the country and to enjoy the 
delightful climate. Before we left Rome we did not know 
how much inducement we should find in the society of our 
travelling companions, for wishing the journey long. My 
friend, Admiral Ferrier, attended to this in his arrange- 
ments, previous to our leaving Rome, and secured from 
among his acquaintance, Mr. Canning ; who formerly re- 
sided in an high official capacity in the West- Indies ; 
Capt. Morton, of the English army, and a Swiss gentle- 
man, so that our party fills the carriage, and is not liable 
to be increased by the occasional admission of a striped 
and unv;elcome bird, as too frequently happens in pub- 
lic carriages. We have journeyed through the day in a 
north-easterly direction, through a country of scattered 
population, and neglected agriculture. V.hen we had 
nearly reached this place, we began to ascend some, 
considerable hills which are the commencement of the 
Apennines. Until we came to this unequal country, we 
had journeyed upon the Campagna and found it as waste 
and desolate as on the other side of Rome. 

CivitaCastellano, where we have now arrived, is situated 
on the Flaminian way, thirty-four miles fron* Rome. It is 
built upon the summit of an isolated rock, and is two miles 
in circumference. It has four gates which look towards 
the four cardinal points, and is surrounded on three sides, 
by small rivers, which wind along deep vallies formed by 
the precipices of the mountains. It contains three or four 
thousand inhabitants. This city is believed by many to 
be the ancient Veii, which so long withstood the power of 

s2 



210 

Rome, which witnessed the slaughter of the three handred 
Fabii, and yielded at last to the seige of Camillus after 
a glorious struggle of ten years. Many have doubted 
the correctness of this opinion, but those who defend it, 
find a strong argument in their favor in the circumstance 
of its elevated and isolar situation ; so admirably adapt- 
ed to defence. Being inaccessible on three sides, and 
protected by a strong fortress on the other, it is at pre- 
sent, a place of great strength. It is believed that 
after the Goths had ravaged a great number of the cities 
of Italy, and established themselves in Veii, that it re- 
ceived its present name. The citadel is of good architec- 
ture, and the walls built with a kind of tufa or sand stone, 
and from their thickness, are well calculated to resist the 
shock of machinery or cannon. 

The city has been joined to neighboring hills on the 
north by a bridge whose arches are of extraordinary 
height. It is a light and beautiful work. It was erected 
in 1712.* 

Aprils.— -Capt. Morton left England with Lord Craven, 
in the capacity of a travelling companion, with the in-? 
tention of accompanying him to Greece ; but when he 
arrived at Naples he changed his mind, and requested his 
Lordship to allow him to return to his dear country by 
land. Capt. Morton has spent most of his life in the 
army, but it has been his fortune to remain at different 
posts, where he has never seen actual service, or actual 
hardship. The toil of our journey is therefore burthen- 
some to him, and he complains constantly, and bitterly, of 
our slow progress and bad accommodations. At Civita 

* Vc^y^^^ €" Italic par M. De La Lande, 



211 

Castellano the Captain passed a most unhappy night on 
account of the fleas and the bad gupper ; and his com- 
plaints this morning have been so pathetic and so frequent- 
ly repeated, that it has had the effect of keeping our party 
in good humour. Our other English companion, Mr. 
Canning, would have made bitter complaint if Capt. Mor- 
ton had not fairly occupied the ground before him, and 
engrossed all our sympathy and all our laughter. We con- 
tinued our journey through a variegated and beautiful 
country, the road winding in many directions on account of 
the hills which form the commencement of the Apennines, 
We breakfasted at Otricoli, a small village which stands 
near the site of ancient Ocriculi, where we understand 
there are architectural ruins of considerable extent, which 
we regretted we had not time to visit. Our next stage 
was to Narni, a ciiy containing four or five thousand in- 
habitants ; fifty-five miles from Rome. It is built in the 
form of an amphitheatre near the summit of a cansiderable 
hill, at the foot of which flows the " rapid Nera." The 
appearance of the city, its walls, and edifices, rising in 
the midst of the evergreen summits of the Apennines, is 
uncommonly beautiful. 

The water which supplies the fountains of Narni is 
brought fifteen miles in aqueducts. A little distance 
from the city are the ruins of the celebrated bridge of 
Augustus, erected by that Emperor to cross a small 
stream, and unite two.hills, for the purpose of forming a 
road. The bridge was remarkable for the height of its 
arches and the solidity of its masonry; it was constructed 
with white stones laid together without cement. 

We arrived at Terni at 3 o'clock. This city contains 
about seveu thousand inhabitants, and is celebrated as 



212 

tlie birth place of Tacitus the historian, and the Emperor 
Tacitus, as well as many other illustrious men. If the 
Italians! have not at present their great and illustrious in- 
dividuals, they feel a laudable pride in cherishing the 
memory of those who have been in ancient times distin- 
guished ; and who shed a lustre upon the age in which 
they lived, and upon mankind. Of such names we 
hardly pass a city without being exultingly reminded, by 
persons, who evince how much they have degenerated 
from their ancestors by the servility of their manners, 
and the shamelessness of their beggary. In justice to 
Terni, however, we must say, that we encountered there, 
less of the peculiar wretchedness, of the Italian people, 
than in any other city, during our previous journies. 
We left our mules and hired a carriage, in which we 
reached the celebrated cataract about 4 o'clock,^ and 
waited to contemplate the beauty of the scenery under the 
advantage of the setting sun. 

The country around this cataract is bold and moun- 
tainous, and the water fall one of the most beautiful 
objects in nature. Its pitch exceeds two hundred 
feet, the water descending in a column, broken by the 
projection of rocks, is obscured in spray, and half con- 
ceals itself in the abyss into which it falls. The bed of 
the river above and below winds among rocks, along a 
rapid descent. The mountains and precipices in every 
direction are covered with evergreen shrubs, and all com- 
bine to form a scene which defies description. 

The cascade of Terni is called Caduia delta Marmere, 
on account of the incrustations formed by its water, as at 
Tivoli ; and an artificial cataract, from the supposed his- 
tory of its origin. The vehno was either produced eatire- 



213 

ly, or much enlarg^ed by Curius Dentatus, in the year of 
Rome G71, and 83 before the christian era; at nhicFi 
time he collected the waters, dispersed in the territory of 
Riali, for the purpose of giving a drain to that country. 

Terni is situated among the highest of the Apennines, 
which are crossed by the road from Rome to Florence; aod 
the surrounding hills arc so steep and barren as hardly 
to admit of cultivation, The aspect of the country remind- 
ed me of the mountains of Scroon and Moria, in tiie state 
of Kew-York. The genei-al elevation is nearly the same, 
as that of the bold and picturescfue primitive range which 
extends from Lake George to Plattsburgh ; but the ever- 
green trees which conceal the rocky summits, are a 
growth of dwarfs compared with the American forests. 

There was a religious fete at a small village near the 
cataract, at which three or four hundred people were col- 
lected. As we rode towards Terni they were returning 
from this celebration. There was not a carriage of any 
kind attending this long retinue, nor a person whose dress 
or appearance indicated wealth or fashion ; yet the pro- 
cession probably contained most of the beauty and chi- 
valry of Terni. I have not seen an assemblage of Italians 
in any instance so well dressed, or apparently so cheerful 
and happy. 



214 



LETTER XXVin. 

Perugia— Pie fro Perugino — Michael Angela — Thrasi" 
menus — Defeat of Flaminiiis—Torricelli. 

April 9, — At 10 o'clock we arrived at Perugia, the 
capital of ancient Ombria, and spent two hours in taking 
a cursory view of that celebrated ci(y. Its distance from 
Rome is one hundred and tv/enty-five miles. It is situ- 
ated upon the summit of a hill, and has a fine and com- 
manding appearance. It is one of the most ancient cities 
of Italy, and its writers pretend, v/as founded, two thou- 
sand years before the christian era, by Janus, the son of 
Apollo. 

Perugia was so considerable a city that Hannibal did 
not deem it prudent to attack it, after his great victory 
atThrasimenus; but it is not less celebrated for its having 
sustained a long and vigorous siege of Augustus during 
the civil wars. 

While independent, the Peiugians were warlike and 
turbulent ; but when given to the papal see, by Charle 
Magne, and afterv/ards confirmed by Louis the debonair, 
they remained faithful in their allegiance to the Pontiff. 
In 1228, the Perugians were still faithful to the Pope, 
but chose afterwards to govern themselves, and soon en- 
gaged in active war. After a slight attempt to reduce 
them, a bull of excommunication was issued, but they 
were soon restored to their communion and their allegi- 
ance. 

The unconquerable character of the Perugians deter- 
mined the Pope, Paul III. to build the citadel which re- 
mains at the present time; but he was under the necessity 



215 

of commencing the work under the pretext that lie was 
going to build a hospital. Unless the inhabitants had 
been decieved, ihey would never have suffered the^forti- 
fications to have been erected. 

Pietro Perugino, that distinguished painter, the orna- 
ment of his age, and the master of Raphael, was born at 
Perugia, A. D. 144G. His extreme poverty compelled 
him to direct the whole force of his genius to his favorite 
study, upon which he depended for daily subsistence. 
Florence being a place of more commerce and opulence 
than his native city, offered a surer reward for his labors, 
and it was there, he principally employed himself. In 
the sacristy of St. Augustin is preserved a billet, written 
by him, dated 30th March, 1517, on the subject of a 
parcel of grain, and the sum that his domestic was to pay 
for it; but it is badly composed, the words incorrectly 
spelled, and the style low.* He was a cotemporary of 
Michael Angelo, and often engaged in disputes with him. 
In the churches of Perugia are preserved a great number 
of the paintings of Pietro and of Raphael. Perugino 
excelled in the softness of his colours, but his composi- 
tion was dry and his outlines stiff and formal. The early 
pictures of Raphael are distinguished, by the faults and 
excellencies, of his master. 

Michael Angelo undoubtedly discovered so much geni- 
us in Perugino as to consider him a formidable rival; yet 
in observing his great faults, and endeavoring to avoid 
them, was led into the opposite extreme. The figures of 
Perugino are smooth passive and inanimate ; those of 
Michael Angelo, muscular, rough, bold, and darkly col- 
oured, starting from the canvass, with unparalleled vigor 
•^ La Lajide. 



216 

and spirit. Raphael combineil the softness and fine co!» 
ouring of his master with the boldness and fire of his 
rival, by which he reached a degree of perfection which 
has never been excelled, or perhaps equalled. 

The pictures of Pietro and Raphael are among the most 
valued treasures of Perugia, and constitute one of its most 
availing attractions to foreigners. 

A little before sun set we arrived at the celebrated lake 
of Thrasimenus and descended the defile, where the ill 
fated Flaminius was met and defeated by Hannibal. The 
ground where this battle was fought is a narrow plain at 
the eastern extremity of the lake, bounded on the south 
and east, the direction of the advance of Flaminius, by 
hills of considerable abruptness and elevation. Ignorant 
of the situation and intentions of his adversary the incau- 
tious consul, was met by the Carthagenian general as 
soon as he had entered the plain, A battle then became 
unavoidable, and the attack was so sudden as to render it 
impossible for him to regain the neighboring hills. His 
embarrassments were increased by a thick fog which con- 
cealed his enemy, who had the advantage of more space 
wherein to extend his line of battle. 

In the centre of this plain flows a little stream, which 
identifies the spot where the greatest slaughter took place 
during that bloody combat. It still retains the name 
Sanquinetto, as is believed from the blood with which its 
waters were stained on that memorable day. 

After having spent an hour upon this interesting spot, 
we crossed the Sanquinetto and put up for the night, at 
Torricelli ; which is laid down in the charts as a village, 
but consists of a miserable inn and two fishermen's cabins. 
The house where we lodged was most wretched, and the 



217 

3ippearanc€ of the people so suspicious, that we thought it 
prudent to barricado our doors when we retired to rest, 
and to '* sleep upon our arras," 



LETTER XXIX. 

Ossaia-^Corlona — Arezzo—Val (TArno—VaUamhrosa, 

April 10, — At an early hour we shook the dust from 
our feet, and departed from Torricelli. We left the banks 
of Thrasiinenus and breakfasted at Ossaia, so named froiil 
the quantity of bones, collected after the battle above 
mentioned. As it was our intention to reach Arezzo at 
night, we had but a short time to look at Cortona. 

This ancient and celebrated city is situated on the top 
of a hill, which commands a view of an extensive and fer- 
tile plain on the south, and on the east, a bold and varied 
tract of hills and mountains. It is one of the most an- 
cient cities of Tuscany (we had now entered the Tuscan 
Territory) distant from Florence about eighteen leagues* 
The hill upon which Cortona is situated is of a conical 
shape, and the post road winds around its base so as to 
avoid the ascent. I walked alone before the carriage and 
passed through the city. Its general appearance is neat, 
and it contains many buildings of considerable magnifi- 
cence. The streets are extrt^mely well flagg-ed, the foun- 
tains numerous and well supplied, the markets neat, and 
stored with fruits, meats, vegetables, &c. 

Toward evening we passed Arezzo, situated upon a 
small eminence, in a plain. Its relation to the surrounding 
country has been compared with that of Rome. The walls 



218 

are very entire, and are not concealed, either by buildings 
or by shades. 

This city was the birth place of Petrarch, of Gui 1'- 
Aretin, who invented the manner of writing music, of 
Cesalpin, one of the first persons who laid a foundation for 
Ihe science of Botany, by dividing plants into classes, as 
well as many other illustrious men. The weather had been 
rainy during the day, and while we were near Arezzo it 
began to snow, with a cold wind, which compelled us to 
close our windows, and wrap ourselves in our box coats. 

We arrived late and much fatigued at a miserable inn, 
where we found bad accommodations, except clean beds, 
and plenty of servants, which we never fail of finding. 
Iron bedsteads are universally used at the inns, and if 
they are placed a sufficient distance from the wall, they 
are so high that our constant tormentors the fleas, cannot 
ascend them. This is a discovery we have lately made, 
and it is a subject of no ordinary gratulaiion, that we can 
sometimes escape the persecutions of these remorseless 
enemies. My English companions (with the exception of 
the Admiral) having been accustomed to much better fare 
in their own country, can with difficulty submit to the 
privations we must unavoidably encounter. 

April 11. — Our mules, slow as they are, take us along 
toward our journey's end, with too much rapidity to al- 
low of our making many observations upon the cities 
we pass, and the scenery of the country. We have de- 
scended this morning into the Vai d'Arno, so celebrated 
for its beauty and its fertility; yet at this season of the 
year, when there is a deficiency of vegetation, the tra- 
veller can hardly assent to the accuracy of those glow- 
ing descriptions, in which writers and travellers have 



219 

chosen to paint this favored portion of the world. To 
those whose ideas of Itahan scenery have been derived 
from English writers, this spot is rendered particularly 
interesting as the supposed origin of Milton's descrip- 
tion of Paradise. 

AVe have stopped to refresh ourselves and to dine at a 
small inn, in sight of Vallambrosa ; but the verdure of its 
forests, and fields, has been destroyed by the severe and 
long continued frosts, of winter. The plantations in 
the neighboring country are in fine order, but the de- 
clevity of the Apennines which is pointed out to us as Val- 
lambrosa, presents to the eye, heaps of bare sand which 
fill and deaden the prospect. The appearance at present 
is certainly unlike Eden. The plantations are sniull, and 
we observe a greater number of laborers than we have 
heretofore noticed. Women toil in the field at every 
kind of labour, and they can be distinguished at a great 
distance by the mixture of red and white in their dress. 
The vines are just putting forth their leaves, and the pea- 
sants are generally engaged in carrying off the branches, 
that were pruned after the last vintage. 



LETTER XXX. 

Florence — the Medicean chapel — The Gallery of Flor- 
ence — Venus de' Medicis — Anatomical preparations 
of wax — Venus of Canova — The Opera. 

Florence, April 13. 
I found an American gentleman at Florence, whom I 
had met at Boston under such circumstances as enabled 
Bie to call on him as an acquaintancCj and he very kindly 



220 

offered me his aid in making the short excursions to view 
the curiosities of the city which our short stay would per- 
mit. Citizens of the same country, in a foreign land, 
usually find it a source of pecuHar pleasure to have an op- 
portunity to interchange sentiments and compare remarks. 
Like solitary pilgrims jostling among the crowds of foreign 
cities, they usually meet as brothers, and delight to assist 
each other, in their laudable pursuits. This principle 
seems inherent in the human breast, and inseparable from 
the heart, alive to the prosperity and glory of its own 
country. It is a form of patriotism which springs spon- 
taneously in the bosoms of those who are suffering a tem- 
porary exile ; among men of honor and intelligence it is 
universal, and we are in no danger of insult, when we 
yield them at once our confidence and friendship. 

Our stay will be so short that we concluded not to 
deliver letters, but to avail ourselves of the assistance of 
this American gentleman. In our first walk we endeavor- 
ed to form some idea of the geography of the city ; its 
squares, fountains, palaces, churches, &c. but were entic- 
ed from object to object, till evening surprized us in the 
midst of our pursuit. 

The city is built with dark coloured stones or lava, 
which gives it rather a dark and gloomy appearance. 
The buildings are high, uniform and regular; the streets 
neatly flagged, the atones being of a diamond shape, 
and laid with the most perfect regularity, but without side 
walks ; and kept as clean as the interior of the houses 
and palaces. Among the public edifices are many gothic 
buildings, which are the first specimens of this style 
of architecture I have seen ; but they do not strike me 
agreeablya 



221 

TheDuorao or cathedral, is the most remarkable build- 
ing in the city, and one of the first objects which attracts 
the curiosity of strangers. It is built with black and 
white blocks of marble, so disposed as to give the walls 
a checkered appearance. The bell tower stands discon- 
nected from the church, and the baptistry is a separate 
building. All these edifices are ornamented witii small 
columns and minute sculpture, without attention to per- 
spective, and the fine and extensive carved work is in ma- 
ny instances placed so high as to be entirely out of the 
sight of the spectator. The Duomo is more ancient than 
St. Peters at Rome, and wants its perfect proportions and 
graceful ornaments. Modern architecture is about as 
ancient, as the foundation of this building. In it, Michael 
Angelo wrought and designed ; but afterwards matured 
and perfected his manner at Rome. As the earliest pic- 
tures of Raphael resemble those of his master Pietro 
Perugino, so do the oldest buildings of M. Angelo, the 
Gothic originals which he studied. His windows were 
narrow and coloured, his arches pointed, columns clus- 
tered ; and in the building before us, the dome is an oc- 
tagon, and the general exterior, broken into innumerable 
compartments. Many of the palaces of Florence bear 
a decided resemblance to the Duomo. The Ducal pal- 
ace is nearly of the same antiquity, and judging from the 
appearance of the city, I presume its influence over the 
style and fashion of building, has been nearly as univer- 
stA. 

The Medicean chapel is a small edifice of more uniform 

richness, than any building we have seen at Rome or 

elsewhere. It is in an unfinished state, and there seems 

to be very little prospect of its ever being completed. 

t2 



222 

If is of a circular form, covered with polished marble,, 
and inlaid with precious stones ; yet the general ground 
work is too dark^ and it is divided into so many pannels 
and angles that the rich ornaments are showed to a disad- 
mKjk vantage ; the tout ensemble is not equal to that of the 
Corsini chapel in the church of St, John Lateran. The 
Medicean chapel contains some of the best sculpture of 
John of Bologna, and oi Michael Angelo, and the inter- 
nal surface is encrusted with earuelian, lapis lazuli, pearl 
and precious marbles. 

iipril 15. — We have been many trmes to the gallery of 
paintings and sculpture, and have seen the Venus de Medi- 
cis, the watching slave, the young Apollo and the St. John 
of Raphael. After two or three walks through the exten- 
sive galleries, we found it impossible to see every thing of 
an interesting nature, and soon relinquished the idea of 
attending to the whole ; but usually repaired directly 
to the tribune of the Venus de Medicis, where the best 
paintings and sculpture ai'e collected. In this matchless 
apartment it is delightful to spend an hour in astonishment 
and admiration ; but it would be vain to attempt to de- 
scribe the objects which it contains. We flatter ourselves 
that the taste is improved and the soul is made better. 
We stand amidst ideal perfections and angelic natures,. 
Immortal youth is realized in the breathing stone ! It 
speaks to the heart, of another and a. better existence ! 

" There,, too^ the C4oddess loves in stone, 2,nd fills 
'' Tlie ail* around with beauty; we inhale ' a,-; 

" The ambrosial aspect,, which beheld instils. 

*' Part of its immortality ; the veil 

" Of heaven is half undrawn; witliin the pale 
" We stand, and in that form and face behold 

** What raind can make, when nature's self would fail 



223 

** And to the foml idoliiters of old, 

" F,nvy the innate flash, wliich such a soul could mould 

** We g-aze and turn away we know not where, 

" Dazzled and drunk with beauty, till the heart 
" Reels with its fulness ; there — forever there — 

" Chained to the chariot of triumphal art, 

" We stand as captives and would not depart. 
" Away! there need no words, nor terms precise 

" The paltry jarg'on of the marble mart, 
" Where Pedantry gulls Folly — We have eyes ; 
" Blood — pulse — and breast, confirm the Dardan shepherd'^ 
prize." 

April IG. — The Arno is larger than the Tiber, and its 
waters less turbid. Its bridges are among- the proudest 
buildings of Florence. The city is situated on both sides 
of the river, and the streets which run along its banks are 
extremely well built, and much frecjuented. A space be- 
tween the buildings and the river is neatly flagged, which 
prevents the filtli, deposited by the runsjing water, from 
incommoding the establishments on the quay. Wc pass- 
ed one of the bridges to-day, on our way to the museum 
of anatomical preparations, and the palace Pittit. 

The anatomical wax preparations at Flcrenee are well 
known. They are arranged in regular series like ana- 
tomical tables, and exhibit every part of the human 
body with astonishing accuracy, and even elegance. In 
minute anatomy these prepajations are invaluable. The 
most delicate structures of the body are represented, first 
in their natural proportions, and in subsequent prepara- 
tions, magnified in various degrees for the use of the stu- 
dent, and the gratification of the curious. I found gentle- 
men and ladies, (English too,) viewing these preparations, 
which show every part of the human frame, without dis- 



224 

guise or exception. Surely ladies ought not to walk 
through this gallery ! There is less impropriety in their 
admiring the naked Apollo, and the muscular gladiator; 
the coloured and exposed details of the anatomist, are 
fit only for the inspection of professional men and artists. 

At the palace Pittit, is a collection of paintings, inferior 
only to those of the gallery of Florence ; and in a tribune, 
built in imitation of that which contains the Venus de 
Medicis; the Venus of Canova, so much and so justly 
praised. The beauty of its scuplture is little short of its 
rival, the master production of human art. 

We spent the evening at the Opera, and were entertain- 
ed with excellent music ; but by no means as good as we 
have been accustomed to hear in Palermo, and other places 
in the south of Italy. The people were noisy, hissed and 
applauded loudly, as is customary in the north of Europe 
and America. This circumstance shows, conclusively, a 
defective taste for music, or that the Opera is not the fa- 
vored, and almost exclusive amusement for the elegant 
and refined, as in the south. 



LETTER XXX I. 

Leghorn and journey thither — Return to Pisa — Lucca 
— Journey to L'Erice. 

Leghorn, April 17. 
We arrived at Leghorn fourteen hours after we leftFlor- 
ence, by the road through Pisa. Vegetation advances ra- 
pidly ; in the valley of Pisa the grape, the fig, and the 
aspens, are in full verdure. The fertile and well cuiti vat- 



225 

ed country, continues only about half the way from Pisa 
to Leghorn, but the undulating- hills subside into a plain, 
which resembles the compagna di Roma. This tract ex- 
tends along the coast to the Pontine marshes, and is nearly 
uninhabited. Between Pisa and Leghorn, this plain is not 
so low, as at any season to be covered with water ; yet the 
intermittent malaria, has driven the people from it and 
prevents their return. It is a common idea in Italy, that 
this disease is caused by the escape of some noxious vapour 
from the earth ; not connected with the decomposition of 
vegetables, or marsh exhalations. 

We spent an hour at Pisa ; visited the leaning tower, 
the cathedral, and the baptistry so much admired on 
account of its columns, and sculptured marbles. When 
we arrived at Leghorn, it was so dark that we could see 
nothing around us, except the wide and well lighted street 
through which we passed ; thronged with people, and hav- 
ing the appearance of great bustle, and business. 

April 18. — We employed the morning in taking a hasty 
view of the city, and calling upon persons to whom we had 
letters, though it is not our intention to make an} stay in 
the city. Our object is to embark at this port for Genoa, 
and to prosecute our journey towards England without 
further delay. At the house of an American gentleman, 
Mr. Degen, where we dined, we learned that a quarantine 
has been lately established between this port and Genoa, 
which will compel us to relinquish our intended voyage. 
We immediately waited on the American consul, who in- 
formed us, there was no prospect of the quarantine being 
speedily removed ; we therefore found it necessary to 
hasten back to Pisa, and take the route by land. Our 



226 

trunks and portraanteaax were at the custom-honse, ancl 
we were under the necessity of incurring considerable 
expense, and a vexatious delay, before we eould get per- 
mission to return with them to Pisa. 

After these necessary affairs were despatched, we ex- 
amined a manufactory of coral, another of alabaster 
ornaments, both on a very extensire scale. Good co- 
pies of the most celebrated statues, vases and urns of" 
Italy, are sculptured in alabaster, and constitute a very 
considerable article of commerce. Among the pieces in- 
tended for the American market, I observed excellent busts 
of Franklin and Washington. As the plan of our journey 
admits of no delay, we paid our bill at the Globe, and 
prepared to return directly to Pisa. 

Pisa, 10 o'clock. — We returned promptly from Leg- 
horn. The Swiss gentleman who left Rome with us is» 
still of our party, but our movement upon Pisa, was deem- 
ed too rapid for the military officer, Capt. Morton. He 
had also another motive and inducement for remaining at 
Leghorn. An English family, with a beautiful young lady ;. 
sole heiress of a large estate, whom we met at Terni, were 
hourly expected at Leghorn. As they were going direct- 
ly to Genoa, the gallant Captain would take pleasure ia* 
accompanying them. The dread of hardship on one hand^ 
and such a prospect on the other, left the Captain no room 
to hesitate, and we are consequently compelled to submil 
to the loss of his society. The Swiss gentleman was highly 
delighted with the promptness of our departure; though 
we had found it necessary to hold a long argument with 
him on the subject of the quarantine at Genoa, which he 
refused to believe, notwithstanding the official informa- 
tion we had received. He even continued to bestow up- 



227 

«ii our unfortunate consul, many hard terms of sarcasm, 
bordering on abuse, for having given us such absurd and 
ill founded information. When at last convinced that the 
information was correct, he was entirely silent on the sub- 
ject, and aided in the preparations for our return to Pisa, 
without any apparent reconciliation to our consul. 

We arrived at Pisa before it was quite dark, and as the 
Swiss gentleman was well acquainted in the city, we trust- 
ed ourselves entirely to him, in choosing a place to lodge. 
He conducted us to a house called the Cross of Malta, 
where we were sumptuously entertained. 

On ilie road frora Pisa to L'Erice, April 19. 

We remained until 11 o'clock at Pisa, and employed 
the morning in viewing one of the most delightful cities ia 
Italy. In population, Pisa is the second city in Tuscany; 
andin many respects its appearance is superior to Florence. 
It is built with white marble, and from this circumstance 
as well as from the wideness of the streets, is peculiarly 
neat and airy. Pisa is not a very flourishing or com- 
mercial city, and has been formerly much more popu- 
lous than at present. Many of its houses and palaces 
appear to be deserted, but not in ruins. Its streets 
are wide and quiet, and the grass looks green in the 
crevices of the flag stones ; the palaces are numerous 
and lofty; the churches magnificent, and the monastic 
establishments extensive and apparently wealthy. The 
Arno flows through the centre of the city, and is crossed 
by three noble bridges. The quays are built with white 
marble and extend through the city ; the best built streets 
are those which are parallel to, and command a view of 
the river. 



22a 

In the Lungarno, as one of these fine streets is called) 
we met a caravan of fifteen camels, laden with wheat for 
the market of Pisa, They were conducted by two drivers, 
and walked rapidly in a line. In our way to the cathe- 
dral and the leaning* tower, we passed one of the principal 
markets: the provisions were various, abundant, cheap, 
and neatly exposed. We spent a short time at the leaning 
tower, the cathedral and the baptistry ; objects well de- 
serving a visit, but to describe them requires a more 
minute examination than our haste would allow. 

L'Erice, 10 o'clock, April 20. 

We made a short stop at the baths of Pisa, dined at 
Spirito Santo, and passed through the republic and the 
city of Lucca. How can this little state have maintained 
its integrity as an independent government, for a period 
of two thousand years ! It has made considerable figure 
in the history of Italy, and mankind : yet it is a httle 
spot, sixteen miles in breadth and forty miles long. It 
has always been surrounded by nations more powerful 
than itself. The city of Lucca contains twenty thousand 
inhabitants. 

A short distance from Lucca, we observed a great num- 
ber of men, women and children, employed in building a 
road. They proceed in the work without the aid of cat- 
tle, or machinery, carrying stones and earth in small 
baskets upon their heads. Two or three hundred people, 
busily engaged in this labour, reminded us of the industry 
of a tribe of ants, which they much resembled. 

We slept at Massa. During the morning we continued 
our journey and arrived in season for dinner at this place, 
having travelled through a wild and picturesque country. 
L'Erice is a small village at the head of a beau tit ul bay 



229 

(the ancient Portus Veneris.) The inhabitants subsist 
principally by fishing; the mountains being so steep and 
rug'ged as not to admit of much cultivation. These moun- 
tains are the commencement of the Alpine chain, and ex- 
tend to the north along the coast, so as to render a jour- 
ney by land from this place to Genoa extremely difficult 
and tedious. Our object in coming to this place is to 
take our passage to Genoa by water for the sake of avoid- 
ing these mountains. 

At evening we were surprized at the arrival of the heir- 
ess and her fnends, among whom was our late compagnon 
de voyage, Capt. Morton. The lady and her friends reach- 
ed Leghorn a few hours after we left that city, and learn- 
ing our project from Capt. Morton, were joined by him, 
and followed us with the expectation of taking the same 
boat to Genoa. They have apartments at the same inn, 
but we regret that the small felucca which we have en- 
gaged will not admit of a larger party. We have disco- 
vered that the elegant young lady has a suitor, more 
favoured than our friend Capt^ Morton, and the poor son 
of mars seems c|uite crest fallen on the occasion. 



LETTER XXXn. 

Voi/age to Genoa in an open boat—A gale — Arrival at 
Genoa — Era of Columbus — Asylum for the poor—- 
Fortress Spezone — Military review at which the 
King is present — The Opera, 

Genoa, April 23. 
The Admiral and myself were called from our beds at 
I o'clock. We went on board the little boat which we 
u 



230 

had eng-aged, and found six men ready at their oars, with 
a stranger, whom they had admitted without consulting 
us. 

We hoisted sail with a fair wind which carried us 
out of the bay before dawn. When the sun brightened 
the east, we looked back upon a distant line of rugged 
coast, and could not distinguish the port which we had 
left. So soon had southern Italy vanished behind us ! My 
residence in that delightful country had passed away like 
a dream ! My friend the Admiral seemed to feel himself 
no longer a " land traveller," but restored to his own ele- 
ment ; he talked of the voyages and dangers, with the 
many incidents of his active life. The stranger, who 
was mute until we were nearly out of sight of land, at 
length opened his mouth in vulgar English ; and his long 
silence was now followed with a paroxysm of talking^ 
which we began to fear, threatened a continuance to the 
end of the voynge. He had been residing a long time at 
Sieune to acquire an accurate knowledge of the Italian 
language, which we could easily perceive he had not ac- 
complished. He had made a rapid journej^ to Rome ; 
but found nothing there so attractive as the society of 
Sienne, vvhere he soon returned. He has travelled in 
Italy destitute of curiosity, dihgence or learning, and 
is returning to his own country without improvement. 
Even the Admiral, so full of gentleness, charity and pa- 
tience, was soon tired of his inspid conversation. 

There was a dead calm all day. Our six men made 
what head way they could with their oars. The wind 
during the night, had been considerable, and had left a 
rough sea, which gave to the boat the most disagreeable 
motion. At night we had not yet made the harbor of 



231 

Genoa, but were four or five leagues at sea, off Porto 
Fino. In such a frail bark we naturally felt a little anxi- 
ous on account of our distance from port. We however 
made the best arrangement we could for sleeping among 
the filth and luggage in the bottom of the boat. 

The calm continued until 12 o'clock, when we had a 
violent shower, attended with a gale of wind. During 
this confusion I was awaked by the voice of the Admiral, 
who was endeavoring to give orders to the boatmen in 
French, English, and in his dozen words of Italian. The 
wind was from the shore, and we could not distinguish 
land in any direction. The sea broke over us, and we 
expected our little bark would sink to the bottom. For 
a short time the consternation and alarm ]iroduced ii 
dreadful confusion among the boatmen, but the panic; of 
fear only continues, while a doubt remains of the reality 
of danger or the possibility of escape. Our danger was 
real, and our immediate escape impossible. The men 
soon returned to their oars, and remained in their places, 
awaiting the orders of their captain, who had taken the 
helm. Order being restored, we drifted before the storm 
until 4 o'clock, when, to our inexpressible joy, we made 
the light. During a gale of four hours we had not been 
able to discover land on any side, nor could we conjecture 
the point of compass towards v/liich we were driven by 
the fury of the storm. As our boat had no deck the sea 
dashed upon us, and we had suffered greatly from wet^ 
and cold. Under such circumstances the gleam of the 
well known light tower, caused a shout of joy from the 
mariners which 1 can never forget. 

We arrived at Genoa, in a style, too humble to excite 
any challenge or inquiry from the health officer, and our 



232 

tninks and portmanteaux, dripping with salt water, were 
sent unexamined to the Hotel de Londre, We were not 
long in recovering from the fatigue of the night, and com- 
menced our tour of observation with as little delay as 
possible. 

April 24. — The first view of the eity gave us a most 
favorable impression of its beauty and magnificence. We 
seem, since we left Leghorn, to have passed from the ex- 
treme of filth to that of cleanliness. The principal streets 
of this city are wide, and the public buildings and palaces 
upon large and liberal designs; but what distinguishes it 
more remarkably from the cities in the south of Italy, is 
the neatness of its small streets and avenues. Nothing 
can be imagined more splendid than some of these small 
streets, which are lined on both sides with shops contain- 
ing jewelry and fancy articles of every description. 

The streets are well flagged, and the side walks wide 
and commodious. In the external ornaments of the build- 
ings and public places, we have regretted to observe 
whole fronts of stucco, as a substitute for marble. This 
manner of building is almost universal, but the eye soon 
becomes weary of it, and the imagination resents the 
cheat. The mildness of the climate is singularly adapted 
to the permanence of such buildiiigs. One building cf 
this description has remained v,'ilhout repairs, since the 
year 1485, when Columbus proposed to his countrymen 
his project of a voyage, which though not patronized by 
the republic, resulted in the discovery of America. The 
fact of the antiquity of these frail stucco ornaments, placed 
the recent date of the discovery of America in a very 
strong point of view. There are whole streets built with 
brick and stucco^ which are more ancient than the period 



233 

^vheu Columbus lived. Tlje general appearance of Cenea 
is that of a modern city, when compared with Pisa, Flor- 
ence, or Perugia. 

April 25. — These remarks have noihing- to do but with 
the exterior of things ; therefore i return to the light and 
showy style of the edifices of Genoa. The cheapness of 
stucco ornaments has rendered them too common ; we see 
here too many fascades, columns and pilasters. Horses 
and donkies are not allowed to pass through the narrowe'^t 
streets. The sides are flagged and the centre paved w'lih 
brick. The flag stones are of a white or cream colour, 
and their appearance extremely neat. Every part of the 
city is filled with shops decorated in the most fanciful 
manner, and filled with vakiabie merchandize. 

During our walk this morning we visited the hotel of 
the poor, a public asylum for the helpless and the indigent ; 
where fourteen hundred people are employed in easy labor, 
fed and clothed. The buildings connected with these 
hospitals are extensive, and distinguished by the same air 
of neatness we have observed in the city. The people 
emploj'ed and fed in this establishment are taken from 
the most wretched of the Lazzaroni, and their existence 
rendered comfortable to themselves, and no longer a bur- 
then to society. We 5pent two hours in walking tlirough 
this excellent retreat ; i.n institution of which any coun- 
try' might be proii'l. We also visited the convent of 
Lerbina, a religious asylum, Vvhich seemed to be as liber- 
ally supported and as admirably arranged. It is a con- 
vent for females. The lady Abbess received us with con- 
iiderable ceremony, and only allowed us to see her young 
prisoners through the grates. The nuns whom we saw, 
stealing hasty glances as they passed the latticed windows^;. 
u2 



234 

were as beautifiil, and as pale as any novel writer could 
have wished them. These recluse ladies employ them- 
selves in making artificial flowers, some beautiful speci- 
mens of which, was all the lady Abbess had to show us. 

The city of Genoa is nearly surrounded by an amphi- 
theatre of hills, which are defended by a line of fortresses* 
The batteries command the city and harbor, and ex- 
tend in the form of a crescent behind the city about nine 
miles in circuit. I walked alone to the highest point oc- 
cupied by these fortifications, called, fortress Spezone. 
The walls, and watch towers, extend on both sides, from 
this fortress in the form of crescents, quite to the harbour 
so as to enclose the city. The hills upon which the bat- 
teries are situated, form abrupt and inacessible precipices^, 
on the side towards the country, and are too distant from 
the neighboring mountains to be commanded by them. 
From the fortress Spezone, the surrounding country ex- 
hibits a succession of rugged rocks, and barren moun-^ 
tains ; with hardly a spot sufficiently level to admit of 
cultivation. 

The king of Sardinia reviewed his troops in the after- 
noon, and we had an opportunit}^ to witness a fine military 
exhibition. The troops were drawn up in a plain, on the 
east side of the city, without the walls. Soon after 
they were paraded the king and his suite arrived, appar- 
ently without exciting the least interest among the citi- 
zens, or the military. The king was mounted on a 
small stone gray horse, and dressed in blue, turned up 
with gold. He sits badly on his horse, wears his hat 
ungracefully, and his manner is peculiarly unmilitary. 
The two officers nearest the king were dressed in simiiar 
uniform, their horses of the same size and colour ; ancl 



235 

they also resemble his majesty in the diminutiveness of 
their persons. But two faces as ordinary, and as plain, 
were not to be found in the whole Empire. The kind's 
subjects at Genoa, are said to owe him no good will; 
aside from their complaint, that he was imposed upon 
them by the decision of a Congress, wherein they had no 
voice, and was not the man of their choice : he is held in 
utter contempt on account of his personal qualities. The 
parade closed with a sham fight, the only battle, it was 
sarcastically observed, in which his majesty would be 
likely to distinguish himself. 

We spent the evening at the opera. The music was 
indifferent, notwithstanding the expectation that the king 
would have been present. We remarked that the distinc- 
tions of rank, were less apparent in the company collect- 
ed, than we had observed in other Italian cities on simi- 
lar occasions ; nor did we see as many people in the cos- 
tumes of the religious orders. The people of Genoa are 
more enterprising and commercial, than the inhabitants 
of the other cities of Italy. 



LETTER XXXIIU 

Genoa continued — Its wealth and acfiviti/ — Harbour 

and mole — Arsenal A night scene — Preparations 

for departure, 

Genoa contains eighty thousand inhabitants, and of ail 
the Italian cities is second only to Naples in commercial 
importance. Surrounded by barren rocks, and isolated 
from the fertile country, by almost inaccessible moun- 
tains, we were surprized to notice so many indications of 



236 

wealth and prosperiiy; but the solution of this apparent 
problem, is to be found in the extent of its manufactures^ 
and the activity of its population. The citizens of Genoa 
are not exclusively Italians, but collected from France^ 
Switzerland, England and Italy. The English language 
is considerably spoken, and we rarely walked the streets 
without bein<^ accosted in our own tongue. Ameri- 
cans are not distinguished from the English by their 
dress or language; but when known to be citizens of the 
United States, are treated with marked attention and 
kindness. In all the cities in the south of Italy, even 
where the English are received w ith some degree of cold- 
ness, it is always a pleasant circumstance to be known as 
an American. The number of English travellers has 
been so great, as nearly to have destroyed all curiosity 
concerning them ,• perhaps their peculiarities of manners 
are not calculated to concihate ; and their acknowledged 
national superiority, gives rise to unpleasant comparisons;^ 
while the idea of America is only associated with a land 
of liberty, an asylum for the oppressed and unfortunate 
of the old world, and as furnishing in its short but event- 
ful history, a theme for the admirationj and hopes of 
mankind. 

Notwithstanding the peculiar reason the Genoese have 
to regret the instability of their government, and the fre- 
c|uent revolutions to which they have ])een exposed, they 
are at present in a state of prosperity, and will probably 
find in the weakness of the king of Sardinia, a greater 
degree of security, than a more ambitious monarch could 
afford them. 

Among the numerous manufactories, none are more 
remarkable^ and extensive, than those connected with the 



237 

ditFerent branches of jewelry, which are principally con- 
ducted by natives of Switzerland. We observed several 
streets exclusively appropriated to them, and other artists, 
arranged in distinct apartments, as at Palermo. 

Towards evening we were rowed into the harbour to 
view the moles, the shipping- and the city from the sea. 
The harbour is nearly circular, about one thousand toises 
ill diameter, and its entrance defended by two moles ex- 
tending from the shore in the form of crescents, and leav- 
ing a space for the admission of ships of about three hun- 
dred toises. The walls are built with large square stones, 
and with the docks, form an extent of beautiful, and sub- 
stantial masonry, whicli would do credit to the means and 
the skill of any city, or any period of the world. The moles 
of Italy are among the most solid and durable works, of 
modern times. We have noticed them in all the sea port 
towns. They have the doulde advantage of promoting 
the cleanliness and consequent healthfulness of the cities, 
and of pernianentlj^ protecting the shipping; while similar 
works constructed with wood, require repairs in a few 
years, and are a constant source of vegetable decomposi- 
tion, an active exciting cause of diseases. 

We went on board a fine frigate, the Maria Teresa, 
lately launched by the king of Sardinia, and visited the 
arsenal, which contains a vast quantity of munitions of 
war, in perfect order. The extensive fortifications are gar- 
risoned in all directions, and the numerous centinels upon 
duly, add to the universal appearance of life and activity. 

April 20. — 'I'he activity of Genoa is truly astonishing. 
Entirely dependent upon commerce, they seek the inter- 
course of all nations, and their choice articles draw 
customers from every quarter of the world. The Admi- 



238 

mVs business this morning, was to purchase several ar- 
ticles of jewelry, for presents to his friends in England, 
which led us into a great number of shops. The articles 
offered for sale by the different shop keepers, appeared to 
be the most perfect of their kind, and the prices regulated 
and unvarying. At a manufactory of coral, the workmen 
were employed in cutting and polishing that beautiful arti- 
cle, and v;e were much surj.rized at the simpHcity of the 
process. The coral intended for beads, is first assorted 
into parcels of the requisite size, and colour, then sawed 
into small blocks, bored, and filed between the fingers, 
into a rounded or crhyslaline form. So far the work is 
accomplished by two workmen, with no other apparatus 
than a small drill, a vice, and a common file. The 
wrought pieces are polished, by placing them in a sack 
with a little olive oil, which is shook by two persons 
until the process is finished. 

The English party which we left at L'Erice, arrived at 
Genoa this morning, and we paid our respects to them, 
at the Hotel del Europe. They have suffered as much 
in the felucca as ourselves ; but the young gentlemen re- 
joiced in the opportunity the adventure afforded, of dis- 
playing their firmness and heroism, in the presence of 

the beautiful Miss P . But it so happened that our 

friend Morton, was thrown into the shade, by his more 
graceful and youthful rival. They were all unaffectedly 
happy in finding themselves safe on shore, and I believe 
they were fully resolved not to trust themselves at sea 
again in such a frail bark. The humor of the party was 
to laugh at the dangers they had passed, not to magnifj 



239 

At a late hour several of the widest streets were ilhimi- 
nated and euhvened by immense crowds of the gay peo- 
ple of the city. Even the ladies did not deem it impro- 
per to grace with their presence, the delij^htful promon- 
ades ; and we witnessed such an assemblage of beauty, 
and elegance, as we may wander the world over, without 
enjoying again. Among the ladies of Genoa there is a 
very peculiar style of beauty, and with our present im- 
pressions, we are ready to pronounce it very near perfec- 
tion. The Roman women have fine complexions and 
faultless forms ; the Sicilian, bright eyes — the Florentine 
Ijeauty — a countenance, beaming with intelligence, deli- 
cacy and loveliness ; but all are combined in the lady 
of Genoa. 

It is now 12 o'clock, but the weather is mild, the win- 
dows and doors are all open, and thousands are lingering 
to enjoy the fine evening a little longer. 

April 27. — Our short residence at Genoa is at an end. 
We called this morning, to have a little gossip with our 
new acquaintances, and to take leave of them, and our 
, friend Capt. Morton. Miss P. the desire of all eyes, will 
soon follow towards Turin. *' You have often crossed 
our path like a good angel ; when we pray for prosperity 
on our journey, we will pray also that we may again meet 
our animating and inspiring spirit." The Admiral laugh- 
ed aloud and declared, the compHment, if intended as 
such, a most uncouth one. Miss P. well knew that she 
deserved a compliment, and smiled graciously on the at- 
tempt. 



240 



LETTER XXXIV. 

Departure from Genoa and journey to Turin' — Our 
companions — Religious procession at Monte Cavaire 

Arrival at Turin Arsenal — General remarks, 

dress, Sfc. — The Opera — Departiire from Turin — 
Suza — Ascent ofMt, Cenis — Breakfast on the sum- 
mit of the Alps — Inn-keeper and family, 

April 28. — We commenced our journey to Turin 
through the Bochetta, a mountainous pass, celebrated in 
the annals of Genoa. The place which particularly bears 
the name of Bochetta, is a ravine, which passes between 
a series of inaccessible ridges, and is very important as a 
military position. Beyond this rugged tract is the plain 
of Marengo, where the celebrated battle was fought. Our 
conductor pointed out the spot where the opposing armies 
were drawn up, and seemed to be well acquainted with 
Bonaparte's plan of attack on that decisive day. He did 
not let the opportunity pass without uttering an ejacula- 
tion, for the return of him " who had done so much for 
the emancipation of Italj^" The common people of Italy 
would now rejoice in the return and restoration of Bona- 
parte. The multitude acknowledge no sympathy towards 
the nobles, and priests, who, they are ready to believe, 
have tyranized over them for ages. 

Our companions in the dihgence were two beautiful 
young ladies and an old man, their protector. With our 
few words of Italian we find it no difficult matter to keep 
up something like conversation. Ladies are patient of our 
blunders, and we of theirs. One of the young misses. 



241 

had paid for the cabriolet, but we prevailed on the old 
man to exchange places with her. M}"^ friend the Admiral 
entered warmly into this little plot, and gloried in its suc- 
cess. These young travellers are to remaia with us until 
we arrive at Turin, 

April 29. — We slept at Alessandria ; within view, and 
nearly on the same level as the plains of 3Iarengo. Ales- 
sandria is a beautiful walled city, surrounded by military 
works, which show the perfection and beauty of modern, 
or more correctly, of modern French engin'ry, as all 
the complete works of the kind we have seen, are pointed 
out to us, as the designs of Bonaparte, and are fortresses 
intended to perpetuate a dominion obtained by violence 
and conquest; to awe and control one of the richest, and 
most populous portions of the globe ; and to aid in a plan 
of universal empire, which late events have proved, it was 
not the design of a wise Providence should ever be real- 
ized. 

From Alessandria to Turin is fifty-three miles. The 
diligence departs at 5 A. M. and arrives at 5 P. M, 
Though not very expeditious travelling, v»e have in no 
instance found less reason to complain of a public car- 
riage. The country through which we passed is in gen- 
eral sufficiently level and under high cultivation, but, 
suft'ering terribly with drought. The fields of wheat, 
are in many instances so dried as to have lost their green 
colour, and the early grass has entirely disappeared. 
All classes of people are suffering present want, and 
the apprehension of a failure of all the products of the 
earth. The peasants are universally poor, and depen- 
dent on their daily earnings for the subsistence of their 
families. How deplorable would be their condition, if 

w 



242 

wheat should be destroyed ! At Cavalre, a small city 
three leagues from Turin, eight thousand people had 
assembled to implore the mercy of the God of the sea- 
sons. The procession passed through the principal 
streets, carrying images, crucifixes and banners, and 
chanting a prayer adapted to the occasion. I have never 
witnessed a scene more affecting. The procession con- 
sisted of both sexes, and all ages. The voice of child- 
hood was blended with the supplication of old age, and 
each individual was imploring for himself, the aversion of 
the present vengeance of an offended God. 

The city of Turin, the windings of the majestic Po, 
and white^ummits of the Alpine mountains, presented an 
enchanting prospect as we left 3Ionie Cavalre, For sev- 
eral hours, we had observed some clouds over the Alps 
which gave a slight but allusory prospect of rain. As we 
entered Turin, we passed a noble bridge where we were 
challenged by gens d'armes ; had our baggage examined, 
and after a litttle delay were conducted to an excellent 
hotel, called Albergo de la Swiss, 

April 30. — I shall not, of course, attempt a description 
of Turin. Ours is but a bird's eye view. In our walk 
of observation, we noticed vast crowds of well dressed, 
and active people, and a general style of things, indicat- 
ing much wealth and prosperity. The streets are wider 
than those of Rome or Genoa, and 1 liave seen nothing to 
equal in appearance the principal street, called C'o«* 
trada di P6, It is straight, wide, uniform, and orna- 
mented through its ^vliole extent wih a row of covered 
porticos. A degree of elegance and grandeur resulting 
from the height of palaces and other buildings, maybe 
-observed in tY^ry part of the city ; but none of the single 



243 

edijfices will compare with the best of Rome. A peculiar, 
but bad taste, characterizes all the architecture of the 
city. The palace Carignane, one of the most extensive 
and venerable structures, has served as a model to cor- 
rupt the st3'le of building. In the centre of the great 
square, is the Palazza Castellot the most magnificent 
edifice of Turin. Its front is truly noble, but its gen- 
eral design is allowed to be as bad as that of the Carig- 
nane. There are a number of rich churches to which 
the attention of the stranger is directed. We were 
most pleased with St, Lorenzo, an edifice of a circular 
form ; surmounted with a well proportioned dome, and 
the front decorated with columns, of the composite order. 
The treasures of this church, the furniture of the altars, 
&c. are of the richest materials, but the sculpture is bad. 
Having left so many master pieces behind us, we fear 
we shall never see more of the beauties of the chisel. 

The city contains a number of spacious squares. Most 
of which are surrounded by covered porticos; but they 
have no fountains or aqueducts. The water is drawn from 
deep wells " with pains and labor infinite." The forti- 
fications which were partially razed by the French, have 
been either repaired or wholly destroyed, for the purpose 
of extending the })romonades around the city. 

The arsenal is the most extensive we have seen. Hav- 
ing no regular means of gaining admittance, we tried 
the alternative, of passing the sentinels without seem- 
ing to notice them. The careless manner we assumed 
completely deceived them, and we passed unchallenged. 
AVhen we gained the interior, no one suspected we had 
not bten properly admitted^ and no question was asked. 



244 

The arms and munitions of war are in admirable condition^ 
and the buildings of vast extent and strength. 

We observed the dress of the people in the streets and 
till places, to be more of French, than Italian fashion ; and 
heard the French language more frequently spoken. 
Beggary is not so obvious, and obtrusive, as in the south. 
There is less display of wealth in shops, and equipage, 
than at Genoa. In the centre of the great square we no- 
ticed a collection of citizens and children, which remained 
several hours without dispersing. A woman of very de- 
cent, indeed beautiful features and person, dressed in 
boy's clothes detained the mob by walking upon long^ 
stilts, displaying feats of juggling, and slight of hand. 

When the darkness of evening prevented our farther 
iurvey of the city, we went into a theatre, paid twelve 
French sous for our tickets, and seated ourselves in th® 
pit, which we found crowded almost to suffocation. The 
music was not good, and the play, a melo drama, called 
'* 11 Tyranto Domestica." In the painted scenery of the 
stage we remarked the peculiar style of the architecture 
ef Turin, even in fancy pictures. This is a personifica- 
tion of bad taste. We observed the same thing at Flor- 
ence, where the cui'tain seldom rises without showing 
pointed arches, and clustered columns. 

May 1. — After an early walk, we prepared ourselves 
to continue our journey. At 10 o'clock, we found at the 
office of the diligence, six passengers already engaged. 
We joined them, and immediately commenced our jour- 
ney to Suza. 

The unexpected crowd in the carrriage put one of our 
travelling companions a little out of humor, and some 
fearsh words were exchanged between him and another 



245 

passenger, about some small articles of baggag-e which 
were placed in a net over our heads. It amounted to no 
more than half a dozen ill naturtd words, but every per- 
son in the diligence felt individually offended, because 
the dialogue was ill timed and unnecessary. An uncom- 
fortable silence of some hours ensued, which a French 
gentleman, 3Ions. Paul, made the first effort to interrupt. 
He could speak English, and commenced a conversation 
in that language. An English gentleman w!io speaks 
French extremely well, and is proud of displaying it, feel- 
ing indignant that it should b"e thought necessary to ad- 
dress him in his mother tongue, replied to Mons. Paul, 
in a torrent of French. Mons. P. soon tiled of the con- 
versation, for he wished an opportunity to exercise him- 
self in English, He had observed from my monosyllables 
that I spoke French with difficully, and after a pause of 
considerable time, renewed the conversation, addrcs>;ing 
himself to me. The English gentleman directly struck 
in, with his French, and Mons. P, after three or four trials, 
was effectually baffled, and gave up the pursuit. An old 
gentleman of our party who had much intelligence in his 
countenance, did not speak to any person during the 
whole day. An Italian lady and two children, all under 
the protection of Mons. P. kept up a livel}'^ interlude dur- 
ing the pauses of other conversation. 

We entered a romantic defile, along the banks of the 
river Durar, upon which the road winds for more than 
half the distance from Turin to Suza. We were surround- 
ed by mountains many miles before we began to ascend 
the Alps. The snow clad summits, seemed to encircle 
us, though after we left Turin, we had hardly been sen- 
sible of ascent. We passed a number of considerable 

w2 



216 

villag-es, and the country, where sufficiently level to ad- 
mit it, is usually well cultivated. 

At 5 o'clock we arrived at Suza, a small city situated 
on the declivity of the Alps, and in the midst of the cele- 
brated pass — celebrated in all the histories of Italy^ 
and emphatically called the gate of war. At this place 
we stopped for the night. After refreshing ourselves 
with an excellent supper ; remarkable on account of the 
line flavor of the vegetables from the high Alps, we made 
a little excursion by moon light to view the city ; the 
celebrated Arch of Cotys, and the scenery of the Giia- 
ziers, now glistening in the light of the moon. Although 
we have hardly commenced the ascent of the mountain, 
and have not yet left the region of perpetual verdure, 
we are completely surrounded by the Alpine summits^ 
covered with everlasting snow. We have indeed pene- 
trated into the very body of the mountains, as we have 
followed the ravines washed by the Durar, without mak- 
ing any considerable ascent. We walked to a grove of 
evergreen shrubs, many of which never flourish, except 
in climates rarely visited by frost. A little distance over 
our beads v, ere the everlasting Glaziers, whose snows 
have not been melted for a thousand years. The gran- 
deur and sublimity of the scenery around us cannot be 
adequately described, but infinitely exceeds any country 
I have before seen. 

May 2. — We left Suza and commenced the ascent of 
Mont Cenis at 2 o'clock. The road winds in a serpentine 
manner, and is so admirably constructed, that it preserves 
in every part nearly the same degree of inclination. Soon 
after sun rise, we had reached such an elevation, that 
icicles were obiiierved hanging from the rocks by the side 



247 

of the way. We were on foot, and the mules walked be- 
fore, with the heavy carriage and the ladies. So excellent 
and easy is the road, that we could only walk fast enough 
to keep up with the carriage. As we continued to as- 
cend, the cold rapidly increased, and before 12 o'clock 
the path was filled with snow and ice, and the summits of 
the mountains around us, presented a cheerless and drea- 
ry prospect of winter scenery, ^lear the top of the 
mountain we crossed a plain two miles in extent, and a 
little lake ; now frozen, and heaped with such immense 
drifts of snow, that unless it had been pointed out to us, 
we should have passed it unnoticed. Upon this plain 
wu passed fifty or sixty laborers, whose duty it is 
to keep the road clear at all seasons. This plain is at 
present covered with snow and ice, but we understand 
in the summer, is bare between three and four months. 
The hills around it, which are from one thousand to six- 
teen hundred feet more elevated, are covered with ever- 
lasting frost. Upon the plain near the lake, Bonaparte 
erected a substantia! building. Hotel Roi/tle^ for the ac- 
commodation of travellers. We found here a good fire, 
which we much needed. In consequence of the long ex- 
ercise in ascending the mountains, or perhaps from the 
tenuity of the air at such an immense altitude, we felt ex- 
traordinary appetite, and took a breakfast of boiled eggs 
and coffee, with many hearty encomiums upon the hospi- 
table landlady ; who also produced for our particular 
gratification, some of the cheese, made from the milk 
of cows fed upon the pastures of the high Alps, It 
is peculiar in its flavor, and the company all agreed, they 
had never tasted better. It is as high flavored as tht; 
celebrated parmazan, so well known to epicures. 



248 

The family who entertained as on this occasion, and 
who keep the present Hotel Roijcle, are the fifth g-enera- 
tion of the same descent, who have inhabited this bleak 
region, and kept a house for the accommodation of travel- 
lers. Their condition has been greatly improved by Bona- 
parte ; but the landlady assures us, her ancestors were not 
discontented with their situation; nor had a wish to ex- 
change it, for the boasted advantages of any of the neigh- 
boring valleys. The woman, who seemed to have the chief 
management of the establishment, spoke in raptures of the 
purity of the air and the healthfulness of the situation. I 
never saw a more perfect picture of health than herself. 
She was rather gross and short, her face remarkably full, 
round, and florid. The children had all the same pecu- 
liarities of countenance. I presume this remarkable con^ 
formation, is owing to the diminished atmospheric pres- 
sure under which they live. We imagined, an uncom- 
mon degree of vivacity and buoyancy of mind, was evinc- 
ed, both by the mother, and the children, which we were 
disposed to refer to the same cause. 



LETTER XXXV. 

Passage of the Alps continued — Houses of refuge — ~ 

Place of deposit for merchandize Descent of the 

Alps — Chamherry — Alpine scenery — Descent of the 
Alps continued — Scales of Savoy — Submontane ex- 
cavation — 'Pont de Beauvoisin— Custom-house ad- 
ventu re — Verpiliere. 

After leaving the Hotel Royele, we passed a number 
of houses, erected by Bonaparte as places of refuge for 



2:4^ 

travellers who might be benighted or overtaken by storms ; 
and we were assured that many individuals, and families, 
had escaped inevitable destruction by seeking their shel- 
ter. We were now astonished, to find ourselves upon the 
very summit of the Alps, to which we had insensibly as- 
cended ; deceived by the admirable construction of the 
road, we climbed these mountains once deemed almost 
inacessible, without even changing our horses. The cold 
was so extreme, that we were glad to get into our carriage 
and wi*ap ourselves in our box coats. In two hours from 
the Hotel Roi/c/e, we began to descend. On the brow of 
Mt. Cenis we passed a small vallage ; a place of deposit 
and exchange for the productions of both sides of the 
Alps. Cold and fatigued, we arrived at the place called 
St, Michaels, where we slept. Every thing around this 
village, showed that a severe winter was just past. The 
frost was not quite out of the ground, and the road broken 
and undermined by winter torrents. Before we retired to 
rest, we observed the mud around the door of the inn, so 
much frozen, that we could walk upon it, and we slept 
with our chamber windows closed. Indeed, every thing 
had changed since we ascended the Alps, and we breath- 
ed the air of another, and more inhospitable climate. 
The surrounding scenery constantly reminded us of the 
change we had so rapidly passed, and we saw in the 
physiognomy of the inhabitants, the strong lineaments of 
a race accustomed to bodily toils, and inclemencies of 
weather. Although the ice and snow covered the road, 
and in many places was of such thickness that we journey- 
ed through galleries excavated in solid ice, yet we were 
assured that the whole, melts away, and the inhabitants 
«ujoy a delightful summer, of between three and four 



250 

snonths. At 6 o^ clock we passed a small village, Lunc" 
botirgi at this season below the boundary of snow. Con- 
tinuing still a rapid descent another post, we reached St, 
Michaels at a later hour than we have before found it 
necessary to continue our journey, and in consequence 
of unusual fatigue, ordered fire, which was brought 
by two Goitrous servants, More than half the in- 
dividuals at this place were laboring under this de- 
formity, but many have only a slight enlargement about 
the neck, which would not be observed unless by a per- 
son who attended particularly to the subject. In the 
worst cases it does not seem to impair the health. 

May 3.—The descent of the Alps is not as rapid as on 
the Italian side. We travelled all day among Alpine 
mountains and arrived after sun set at Chamberry, the 
capital of the department of Mont Blanc, in Savoy. It 
contains ten or twelve thousand inhabitants, and the gen- 
eral appearance of the city is mean. A number of houses 
are ornamented with piazzas, but most of the buildings 
are small, and the streets, crooked, confined and narrow* 
We yet feel an uncomfortable degree of cold in conse- 
quence of the vicinity of the Alps, and observe the pea- 
santry disfigured with Goitres. 

The scenery of these Alpine regions possess astonish- 
ing variety and grandeur. The summits of the high 
Alps, in all places covered with snow, give a remark- 
able and characteristic aspect to these mountain soli- 
tudes. As the Alps have greater height and extent, they 
afford more imposing views, than any mountains I have 
before seen. It is impossible for language to give an 
adequate description of these everlasting monuments of 
the greatness of the Creator. 



251 

The traveller lingers in astonishment and admiration ; 
his spirit is exalted by the grandeur which surrounds 
him, and every faculty of the soul, expands in devotion 
to the sovereign of the universe. 

I am to part with my friend the Admiral, at this place. 
He will visit the baths of Aix, where he is to remain a 
few weeks on account of his health. 

May 4. — After exchanging kind wishes, we took leave 
of the Admiral, and left Chamberry before it was quite 
light. Lonely and a stranger I joined the party in the 
diligence. Mous. Paul, with the lady and her children, 
and the silent old gentleman, for he had not yet spoken, 
remained in the diligence ; and two ladies, a woman from 
Paris and her daughter, a beautiful lass of eighteen, were 
added to our party. They have accepted the gallant ten- 
der of the protection of 3Ions. P. quite to Paris ; conse- 
quently 1 am provided with travelling companions. 

The descent still continued after leaving Chamberry, 
and we could perceive a rapid amelioration of climate ; 
but at no time have we felt the mild air peculiar to the 
south side of the Alps, x'lt 11 o'clock we arrived at the 
last pass of the Alps, called the Scales of Savoy. The 
road here crosses a rocky precipice, which was never as- 
cended or descended by any carriage, without its being- 
hoisted by ropes, until improved by the late Emmanual, 
Duke of Savo}'. Daring t!ie dominion of Bonaparte in 
Italy, this ridge, which seems designed by nature as a 
barrier between two nations, was nearly annihilated, by a 
perforation through the solid mountain, large enough for 
n military road. The excavation was continued with 
infinite expense and labour, near half a mile in length. 



252 

It is as lofty as the grotto of Pausilypo near Naples, and 
so wide, 

" That with extended wings a l)anner'd host 

" Under spread ensigns marchhig, mig-ht pass through, 

" With horse and chariots, rank'd in loose array ;" 

We walked through this subterraneous or submontane 
passage, and as we passed the northern port, we looked 
down upon the fertile plains of Bresse, and the vast extent of 
Champagne country which bounds the territory of France. 
The mountain extends like a gigantic wall along the fron- 
tier of Savoy, and is impassable except at this place. Na- 
ture has separated Savoy from France on one side by a 
barrier as effectual, as from Piedmont on the other, by the 
high Alps. Notwithstanding this natural division the 
Savoyese territory extends below the rock. At the foot 
of the mountain is a village, Pont de Beauvoisin, of 
which a part belongs to one government, and a part to the 
other. Here we were visited by custom-house officers. 
The Admiral had warned me of this ordeal, and insisted 
upon my putting a piece of silk which I had purchased 
at Catania, into my pocket, instead of carrying it in 
my travelling portmanteau as 1 had usually done. Our 
trunks and portmanteaux were slightly examined ; we 
were then ordered into a private apartment and our pock- 
ets searched — when lo ! the contraband silk was discov- 
ered, i felt severely mortified, and not only drew upon 
myself the laughter of my companions, but the suspicion 
of the officer of the customs, who taxed me roundly, and 
returned to give my trunks a second examination, Mons, 
P. was found at last, to have a forbidden article in his 



253 

pocket, which reHeved me not a little, iiotwithstandius^ 
it was of so httle value that the officer demanded no 
duty. If I had not taken the advice of the Admiral I 
should have escaped, in this instance, with impunity. I 
had followed it, contrary to the convictions of my own 
understanding. And since my respected travelling com- 
panion, did by his imwise counsel, place me in such an 
awkward dilemma, it is but common justice for me to say 
of him, that he possesses the foible of undue pertinacity 
of opinion in small matters ; and I would earnestly recom- 
mend to those who may chance to pass the ordeal of any 
vigilant custom-house, to keep their contraband wares 
in any place, rather than upon their persons. But, Oh ! 
the mortification of having; them draorsred reluctantlv to 
light ! I herewith pay my adviser the compliment of 
wishing him, at least half a dozen such agreeable adven- 
tures before he reaches London. This vexation at length 
passed, we journeyed on to a place called Verpiliere, 
where we slept. The country improves as we leave the 
mountains, but vegetation is much less advanced than oa 
t-he other side of the Alps. There is a better population, 
and the agriculture is superior to any of the border terri- 
tories of Italy. The cottages are built with small round 
pebbles and earth, so mixed as to form very neat and 
strong walls. They are generally roofed with slate of a 
superior quality ; a few of the poorer cottages are 
thatched with straw. The roofs of all buildings, of what- 
ever description, are high and sharp. The soil is natu- 
rally rich, but we observe a remarkable deficiency ef 
shades, when compared with Italy. 



254 



LETTER XXXVI. 

Arrival at Lyons — Cathedral — Bridge — Hotel de Ville 
— Street scene — Mons. Paul— His love of country, 
how discovered. 

May 5. — For a distance of three or four leagues be- 
fore we arrived at Lyons, we passed through a rich plain, 
highly cultivated ; but without shades or enclosures. 
Mons. Paul assured me it was formerly ornamented by 
the finest shade trees in France, but they have been 
all destroyed by the armies which have besieged Ly- 
ons at different periods. In extent and evenness of sur- 
face, this plain is not unlike the Campagna di Roma, 
By cultivation, I presmue the campagna might be render- 
ed as fertile. We observed the buildings by the side of 
the road, covered with placards, advertisements and signs; 
unlike Italy, where we seldom or never see a mechanic, 
or shop-keeper's advertisement at his door. Bonaparte 
required that every man who was of a trade, or profes- 
sion, should specify it in legible characters upon his 
dwelling. 

" Vive le Roi et les Bourbons," written in many places 
upon the walls and signs, reminded us that we were in a 
comitry which had lately changed its masters, and very 
recently menaced the liberties of the world. We arrived 
at Lyons at 10 A. M. but it rained nearly all day, so that 
we could see but little of the city, yet we endeavored to 
take such a hasty view of things as the plan of our jour- 
ney admits. We walked through the principal streets, 
quajs, &c. and examined the most remarkable public 
buildings. The population of the city is eighty thou- 



255 

sand, being twenty thousand less than its ancient number. 
It has sufteied greatly during" various revolutions, yet 
coming as we do from the more ancient and depopu- 
lated cities of Italy, its appearance is comparatirely 
modern and entire. The cathedral retains the marks of 
devastation and ruin, more than any other building. The 
numerous statues with which its front was ornamented, 
and the fine gothic tracery, and elaborate carved work, 
which decorated its interior, have been teriibly defaced. 
So much so, that it has been considered useless to attempt 
any repairs. This building, venerable on account of its 
antiquity, and interesting to the present generation, from 
its being identified with many important national events, 
is considered one of the best specimens of gothic archi- 
tecture in France. From the circumstance of its being 
the first building of the kind I had seen, I examined it with 
unusual interest. In going to this cathedral we crossed 
a noble bridge over the Saone, erected a few years since. 
It is an admirable structure, of as firm and durable mate- 
rials, as the cloaca maxima; and as worthy the admira- 
tion of the world. It marks the Augustan age of France ! 

We attempted to see the hospital, but not having time 
to obtain regular permission, we were not successful ; nor 
were we more so in our endeavors to ^iew the celebrated 
silk manufactories of Lyons, We walked to the Hotel 
de Ville, the most considerable edifice of the city. It 
occupies one side of the principal squares, is ornamented 
with three domes, and a grand fascade. It is built with 
good materials, and in an imposing style of architecture. 

The streets are universally crowded with well dressed 
and active people. We look from the window of the Hotel 
de Noix, upon the principal square. The centre of this 



sijuare is shaded by a fine grore of trees, which are sur- 
rounded by a low empalement of iron and white marble. 
The buildings on every side, are covered with signs and 
fantastic exhibitions of merchandize. Not far from the 
hotel we observe a collection of wax figures, and some 
ludicrous paintings; with a Frenchman constantly blowing 
a horn to call customers to his sliop. On the other side 
stands a gibbet, upon which are exposed three culprits 
with ropes about their Hecks, holding in their hands a 
scroll vphereon is written the name, and the crime for 
which each is disgraced. Notwithstanding the rain, which 
falls in torrents, curiosity has attracted a vast crowd to 
witness this spectacle. 

9 o'clock. — A little before sun set the weather became 
pleasant, and we walked about a mile and a half from the 
hotel, to the confluence of the Rhone and the Saone. The 
quay extends on both sides of the river to this confluence, 
and the promonade thither is truly delightful. I soon 
found tbe object of Mens, P. in choosing this walk, was 
to show rae his countrymen, and fine country women to 
the best advantage, and I could not refuse him the con- 
fession, that 1 had never seen more beautiful ladies, or 
more graceful gentkmeu. The perfect politeness af 
Mons, P. seldom allows him to speak in commendation of 
his own country, or any thing appertaining to it, but the 
most sensitive of all his nerves, is that which responds 
to the praises of Bonaparte ; the next object of the repose 
of his pride and self complacency, is the charms of his fair 
country women ; and last, the glory of the great nation. 
If he has any of that quality called sordid selfishness, it 
siever discovers itself. In addition to the recommendation 
®f a fine person and elegant manners, Mons, Paul possesses 



25t 

i-efinement and considerable karniug. He has travelled 
in many parts of Europe, and his conversation upon all 
subjects evinces his liberality of sentiment, and extensive 
information. I never observed his perfect self possession 
to forsake him so much as when I expressed my admira- 
tion of this first groupe of his elegant countrymen. On 
our return we crossed a second time the bridge which was 
erected by Bonaparte over the Rhone. I took occasion to 
remark upon the simple grandeur of this admirable build- 
ing. The key that was to unlock the whole heart of my 
companion seemed to be touched, and he broke out in 
a frenzy of admiration of the great Captain, which to the 
cold temperament of an American or an Englishman, 
might appear like maniacal raving. That great and 
strange man has however, left behind him much to excite 
the enthusiasm of his countrymen, and posterity. Roads 
over mountains deemed inaccessible, bridges, extensive 
excavations through solid rocks, and various improve- 
ments remind men of his agenc}^ wherever he has been, 
and attach even the conquered, to bis person and his cause. 
The monuments remain when the history of their erection 
is forgotten, and posterity will not ask whether he em- 
ployed in these works of permanent utility, hands and 
monies which were not his own. 



LETTER XXXVn. 

Voyage to Chalons — Village reception on the Saone 
Macon — A night on the Saone, 

At G a. M. we went on board a boat called the " Di- 
ligence sur la Saone," for Paris by the way of Chalons. 
t2 



258 

The boat was drawn by four horses, which were relieved 
once in two leagues. It carried fifty passengers besides 
a great quantity of baggage, and moved with nearly the 
same rapidity as the diligence by land. 

Those trifling traits of manners which contribute to 
form the distinctions of national character always interest 
the traveller. We remarked on entering the dihgence, 
that the boatmen were not only very attentive and civil to 
us, but to their fellow boatmen observed the decorous 
courtesy, which is expected in the intercourse of gentle- 
men. Among the passengers, there was much good hu- 
mor and lively conversation, as well as greater familiarity 
between the sexes than would have taken place under 
similar circumstances in Italy. However licentious the 
Italians may be, their manners are always decent and cir- 
cumspect in public places. The scenery was but little 
varied during cur morning's ride upon the Soane, but the 
country is a continued rich plain, rising gradually into 
hills of moderate elevation, at a distance of two or three 
leagues from the river. We saw many good and com- 
fortable looking habitations, but no extensive and splen- 
did villas. In this respect the country is not equal to the 
banks of the Hudson in America. 

At II o'clock the boat stopped while the passengers 
breakfasted at a small village. As we stepped upon the 
shore, we were welcomed by the young girls of the inns, 
who took the strangers by the hand with great familiari- 
ty ; tendering civilities of every kind while they recom- 
mended their several houses. It seemed to be their duty 
10 endeavor to draw customers to the houses to which they 
belonged. Each lass led off a party to her breakfast, but 
the greatest number went to a spacious inn near at hand ; 



259 

to this party my companion and myself were attached. 
While at breakfast, a number of girls and boys prettily 
dressed, with garlands of flowers in their hands, danced 
before our door. Before we left the table one of their num- 
ber, a little girl of about twelve years of age, presented a 
bouquet of flowers, and her own lips, to each of the stran- 
gers, for which she expected in return, some small coin, 
on her own account, and in behalf of her companions. 
On enquiry, 1 found that the villagers were practising a 
trifling anacreonism, and performing the dances and salu- 
tations customary on the first day of May. The bar 
maids were yet about us, offering their cheeks for what- 
ever gratuity the gallant stranger thought proper to be- 
stow ; or perhaps from motives of pure hospitality and 
good cheer. With all this freedom of manners, there was 
an air of simplicity and good humoured kindness, which 
one is almost compelled to believe belongs only to inno- 
cence and truth. 

We continued our journey through a most delightful 
country, which preserved nearly the same gentle inclina- 
tion from the river as that we have already noticed. The 
small boats upon the liver, and those wliich took passen- 
gers from the diligence, are rowed by women. Unhke 
the Italian women of the same class, their dress is neat, 
and they have the air of cheerfulness and happiness ; add- 
ing a charm, and an elegance to the lowest drudgery. 

A little before sun set we arrived at Macon ; a city of 
about twelve thousand inhabitants, on the east bank of the 
river. Here our boat stopped, and we experienced the 
same kind reception, as at the place where we breakfast- 
ed; though a little more restrained, on account of the 
great number of people who crowded around us, as we 



260 

landed. We had time, while the boat wailed, to walk 
Ihrotigh the principal streets, with a gentleman well ac- 
quainted with the city. Macon is in a flourishing and im- 
proying condition. Since the restoration of the Bourbons 
it has rapidly extended its commerce and multiplied its 
population. We observed a considerable number of build- 
ings, lately commenced or undergoing repairs, and an air 
of activity, generally, which seemed indicative of pros- 
perity. Among the new buildings is an elegant church, 
commenced about ten years since, and nearly completed, 
of which any city might be proud. It is ornamented with 
a portico in imitation of the portico of the Pantheon at 
Rome. 

As it began to grow dark, we went on board the boat ; 
and continued our voyage during the whole night. The 
cabin was so small that the passengers could with difficul- 
ty crowd into it, and no one attempted to lie down; many 
could not even find seats. It was too cold to remain upon 
deck and we, of course, passed a sleepless and uncomfort- 
able night. 

One of the company made a great effort, and not with- 
out success, to keep this crowded and jostled company in 
good humour. To secure to himself full licence of speech, 
he pretended insanity. Having attracted the attention of 
his auditors by some elegant observations and lively sallies 
of wit, he elevated his voice, and commenced a strain of 
severe sarcasm and ridicute, of the king and ministers of 
France. I could not entirely' comprehend his rapid con- 
versation, but Mons. P. translated to me in a whisper those 
remarks which I could not understand* No one replied 
to his severe remarks, which would have been treason in 
a sane man, and no do^bt have exposed him to the active 



261 



cognizance of some officer of the police. For two hours 
the orator amused his hearers, at the expense of majesty, 
with an occasional laugh at the multiplied calamities of 
France ; and it needed no oracle to inform us that this dis- 
course tvas agreeable to his auditors. 



LETTER XXXVIII. 

Chalons — Departure from that place Auxerre — 

General remarks — Sens—^Faneral monument— Meliin 
— Montro — The King's forest — Villeneuve. 

May (3. — We arrived at Chalons in the morning, but 
soon found it would not be convenient for us to continue 
Tvith the diligence to Paris. We had time while making 
a contract with our landlord for a private carriage to see 
a little of this beautiful city. It is not quite as populous 
as Macon, The streets are narrow and without side walks, 
the houses generally small with sharp roofs, and their 
ends to the street, like the ancient Dutch buildings in 
Albany. Indeed the city has no claim to beauty from its 
edifices, or the style of its architecture ; but is delight- 
full}' situated, and at this season, no place is without 
attractions. A number of beggars surrounded the door 
of the inn, and our landlord gave each of them a 
trifle. I never observed such an instance of liberality 
in Italy. Beggary is not so universal, as in Italy, yet 
there is enough to astonish an American. As we walked 
through the streets we were met by a funeral procession. 
The corpse, a child, was carried by young females dressed 
in pure white. In their manner of bearing the coifin, they 
discovered a remarkable degree of gracefulness, and pro- 



262 

priety. The loveliness of female beauty was atlending^j 
like blessed angels, the remains to their last abode ! We 
were surprised that a funeral ceremony could be made a 
fete of elegance and display of beauty ! 

For a trifling sum we engaged a light carriage to Paris. 
We take the road b}"- Autun, Chissey and Rouvray, though 
not the route of the post, I dont know why Mons. Paul, 
who is captain general in this arrangement, perfers it. Be 
this as it may, all was prepared, and we left Chalons about 
12 o'clock. As we retired from the banks of the river 
we gradually ascended, two or three hours. The country 
then looses the uniform flatness of the banks of the Saone, 
but is not hilly. Vegetation is not so much advanced as on 
the plains near the river, nor the soil as rich. Before dark 
we entered Burgundy, so celebrated for its wines. The 
soil is light and poor. The vines are more closely pruned 
than in Italy, and are supported by small dried reeds in- 
stead of trees. Where the vineyards have not ^(di been 
dressed, these reeds are laid in rows hke sheeves of wheat 
behind the reapers, neatly tied in bundles. For seve- 
eral leagues we saw no other agricultural improvement. 
The vineyards are not divided by ditches, fences or 
hedges; and shades of any kind are..very rarely seen. This 
great uniformity has the appearance of neatness, but is 
monotonous and wearisome to the eye. The population is 
scattered and the habitations small, but neat. By scatter- 
ed population, I mean more so than that of any fertile dis- 
trict in New-England. The plantations and vineyards 
are always large. The poor laborer never owns the soil 
which he cultivates. 

We arrived at Rouvray after dark, and intend to leave 
it by 5 o'clock in the morning. 



263 

t 

May 7. — Auxerre. — This city is delightfully situated 
on the banks of the Yonne. As the greatest part of our 
day's journey had been through a flat and unshaded 
country, the verdant valley which borders this river, the 
long rows of trees on each side of the road, the towers, 
gothic churches, and varied outline of the city, formed a 
prospect particularly grateful to our eyes. Every city 
we have j'^et passed, has a shaded promonade, and being 
located upon rivers, the streets next to the water, are the 
most improved and frequented. The promonade of Aux- 
erre is situated a little distance outside of the walls. 
As in the other provincial cities the streets are narrow, 
the roofs sharp, and the wood of the frame work exposed, 
upon the gable end of almost every private dwelling; the 
second and third stories, if the building be so high, pro- 
ject a little farther towards the street than the basement 
story. The effect of this construction is extremely un- 
couth and barbarous. The buildings are universally 
small and mean, I have never seen a village in America 
of five hundred or a thousand inhabitants, where the 
buildings were not better than in this city. 

Since we left the Saone, we have travelled through a 
coimtry remarkable for the uniformity of its surface. We 
have not seen a hill of one hundred feet elevation, and not 
a rood of waste ground. The inhabitants are nearly all 
peasants. We have not passed a single improved situation, 
which would be suppossd, if in America, the residence 
of an independent gentleman. Nor are there any indica- 
tions of the presence of such gentiemen in the cities. 
Nine tenths of the people, visible to a passing traveller, 
are coarsely clad, wear wooden shoes, and evince more 
poverty in their appearance than can be found in any 



I 



264 

part of America, The people who crowd the streets of 
Auxerre, would be stared at in astonishment, on account 
of the wretchedness of their appearance, by the most 
miserable wanderers that could be found in any part of 
our happy country ; yet it must be confessed, these peo- 
ple are much less beggarly, and abject, than the Italians. 
Women work in the fields, are as coarsely clothed, and 
wear wooden shoes like the men. I have not seen a 
gentlem.an in his own carriage since I entered France ; 
nor a well mounted traveller on horseback. To think of 
a laborer driving his own good horse, and decent chaise, 
would require a great effort of imagination among these 
peasants. More labor and vvatchfulness are required to 
procure subsistence than in the United States. The 
manners of the people are simple, compared with our 
countrymen, and they have infinitely more local and pro- 
vincial habits ; and a traditional cast of character, un- 
known in America. They are less speculating, emigrat- 
ing, and mercantile ; there are no banks in little vil- 
lages — indeed no paper currency—no fictitious capital, 
nor ephemeral credit, which in America involvti so many 
individuals in ruinous enterprizes, but imparts a peculi- 
ar boldness of character, and destroys the attachment to 
particular places, which while it renders men contented 
and happy, prevents their improvement. Here the 
peasant never dreams of changing his situation unless 
it be from his labor to the camp, and notwithstand- 
ing the revolutions which have agitated every part of 
France, the soldiers have showed a disposition to return 
to their fields, after each campaign — -and having wander- 
ed with the armies, and suffered the privations and hard- 
ships incident to war, have gladly resumed the quiet do- 
mestic duties of life. 



265 

Sens, May 9. 
The road from Auxlrre continues near the Yonne, and 
is planted on each side with double rows of elms and as- 
pens. The country continues nearly level : the fields are 
large and the population confined to villages ; the coun- 
try is so unshaded that we can see the peasants going to, 
and returning from their labour at the distance of two or 
three miles* The women more frequently carry a burthen 
upon their heads than men ! Does this indicate semi- 
barbarism ? The cottages are built with soft calcarious 
stone, which is wrought with very little expense, and seems 
to be a durable material, though less so than good 
bricks. The farm houses are always small, and built 
with the best stone the country affords. If any one should 
expend two thousand dollars upon a farm house, and con- 
struct it of materials liable to decay within fifty years, 
he would be considered a mad man ! 

The common houses of Sens are little better than the 
cottages in the country. The streets are narrow, but well 
flagged ; the public buildings, all of gothic architecture, 
and the cathedral, the pride of the city, a large and show}' 
edifice, particularly deserving of notice on account of 
a sepulchral monument, erected by Louis XV — and some 
remarkable stucco imitations of marble. The monument 
consists of a large sarcophagus, and a groupe of statuary 
of exquisite design and sculpture. It stands in an open 
area before a stucco fascade, which so much resembles 
ihtjaune antique, that I supposed it, from a slight ex- 
amination, that valuable variety of marble. 

As we returned towards our inn, the streets were sud- 
denly inundated with water from the abundant fountains 
which supply the city. 

Y 



266 

May 10 — We passed Pont Sur Yoniie, a small Tillage 
which derives its name from the bridge which crosses the 
river, and reached Montro at the confluence of the Yonne 
and the Seine, at 11 o'clock. This place was defended 
by Bonaparte in 1814. The two bridges were blown up 
during the approach of the allies, and yet remain in ruins. 
We walked before the carriage to a little eminence on the 
opposite side of the Seine, where we had a fine view of 
the plain traversed by the Yonne and the Seine, filled with 
verdure and enlivened with edifices. It was the spot 
were we stood, which was chosen by Bonaparte to sustain 
the attack of a force very superior to his own, and from 
which he retired with considerable loss. The only vestiges 
which remind the traveller of this battle, are the low 
mounds in the ditches, by the side of the high-way, 
which indicate the places where the dead were buried. 

From Montro to Welun, the country is fine, the soil 
argillaceous, but not more fertile than what we have be- 
fore observed. The population is still confined to villages. 
Sometimes we ride five or six miles without seeing a hu- 
man habitation or an enclosure of any kind. The villages! 
are very populous and compact. May not this be one cause 
of their being so easily roused to acts of outrage and revo- 
lution ? When the bells ring or the tocsin is sounded, 
the people can be instantly assembled. Where the in- 
habitants are scattered, as in Italy or America, a system 
of concert cannot be so easily established. The city of 
Melun contains about forty thousand inhabitants, but bo 
splendour. The people seem to be peasants. Women 
walk the streets in wooden shoes. The houses are dirty, 
small, and crowded with two or three families. We 



267 

W€re astonished at the apparent insignificance of a city 
of such population, and of individuals, so near Paris. 

May 11. — We left Melun at 5 o'clock. The weather 
was so cold as to render our morning's ride unpleasant, 
and for several hours we were prevented by a thick fog 
from seeing any thing around us. Three leagues from 
Paris we entered the Royal forest. Here I was not 
a. little disappointed, as Mons. P. had prepared my ex- 
pectation, for the finest forest in Europe. Its extent 
where crossed by the road is little more than one league ; 
and is a plain covered with a low growth of trees and 
shrubs. The road which passes through, in a straight 
line, is planted on each side with double rows of lombardy 
poplar, which over-top the surrounding trees, and while 
they mark the monotonous and discouraging length of the 
path, diminish the forest by their greater height. An 
avenue is formed by these poplars, planted with perfect 
regularity, which appears like an immense colonnade. 
In the centre of the forest, is a lofty obelisk which can 
be seen at a great distance ; its effect as an ornament, is 
singularly fine. 

Shrubs and brambles are dignified with the name of 
forests ; but we look in vain for the deep shade, the si- 
lence, and the enchanted gloom of American scenery. 

We breakfasted at Villeneuve, eleven miles from Paris. 
A diligence from the metropolis, carrying sixteen persons, 
had just arrived at the inn where we alighted, and we 
found a table ready spread and covered with a delicate 
repast. My companion complained that the charge made 
by the master of the house was enormous. It was so, 
compared with what we had usually paid, but I know of 
RO place in America, where a breakfast equally good 



268 

would not have cost the traveller more. The charge \?aif 
fifty sous — something less than fifty cents. 

During the morning we were enveloped in a dense fog, 
which in this serene climate is considered a remarkabie 
occurrence, bat fortunately for us, it was dissipated at an 
early hour, and we enjoy from the window of the hotel 
one of the finest prospects we have noticed since we en- 
tered France. 

We are upon the banks of the Seine, a clear and rapid 
rivTr, which would grace any country. The view, on all 
sides, is enlivened by eminences, which are planted with 
trees and covered with verdure. The scenery reminds us 
of Italy, and carries us back in imagination to regions of 
, grandeur and of beauty which we have left forever. 

Villeneuve is but a single stage from Paris. In a few 
moments after we left the inn we were cheered with a 
view of this great city — its domes, and spires, growing 
more and more distinct as we approached. The sur- 
raunding country, covered with verdure, and varied with 
so much ineq-uality of surface, has, when compared with 
the departments we have lately passed, the appearance 
of boldness, and is rendered singularly beautiful by the 
windings of the Seine, and the thousand villas which adorn 
its banks. While the eye is delighted with objects of 
grandeur and magnificence, the mind recalls the endless 
associations, borrowed from the history of a great mon- 
archy and vast metropolis— the focus of gaity, and nur- 
sery of revolution. The spot is less venerable than the 
environs of Rome : yet, consecrated to the memory of 
the world by circumstances which have interested th€ 
whole human family. Here, the real incidents of many 
an eventful period have been boldly transacted. It is- a 



2G9 

modern theatre ; flonie — the majestic Coliceum in ruins ! 
The emotion which takes possession of the breast in tlie 
approach to one, is awe — to the other, curiosity. 



LETTER. XXXIX. 

Paris — Manners — Cabinet of Natural History — Con' 

c/nsion. 

Paris, June 1. 

The first days after our arrival at Paris were employed 
in a hasty examination, of so many objects, that it is not 
possible to embrace a sketch of them within the limits of 
our plan. A residence of a faw weeks does not enable a 
stranger to acquire even a general knowledge of a city of 
seven hundred thousand souls, and we are deterred from 
making such superficial observations as were deemed 
admissible in other cities, by the recollection that several 
Americans have already written accounts of this metropo- 
lis. As we have now arrived in the beaten track of our 
own, as well as European travellers, we shall close the nar- 
rative, though it is not inconsistent with this intention to 
mention a few things which occur to us as particularly 
worth}'^ of observation. 

At a French house where I usually dine witii Mons. 
Paul, and a number of Parisians, I have noticed remark- 
able instances of parental and filial tenderness. In every 
French family we have had the opportunity of observing-, 
we could not fail to witness this interesting trait of cha- 
racter, which doubtless may be called national, and de- 
serves to be mentioned for the honor of human nature, 
and of France, 

y2 



> 270 

The easy and elegant manner of the Parisians, bears 
too oiuch evidence of having been acquired by art, and 
imitation. Its excesses always border upon grimace, and 
affectation. Elegance arKl affectation v^^ith them, are 
as nearly allied, as the sublime and ridiculous, which 
Bonaparte said were separated only by a single step* 
The manners of the French are mechanical, or theatri- 
cal, while the peculiar gracefulness of the Italians seems 
to depend upon the qualities of the mind — refinement — 
sensibility — enthusiasm and admiration, directed to the 
beauiiful productions of the fine arts. The scenery, 
architecture, paintings, statues and music of Italy, have 
contributed to give the Italians a degree of delicacy and 
refinement superior to the French. In the manners of th© 
French there is more show and effect ; of the Italians- — 
character — dignity — elegance. The heart has more to do 
with the manners of the Italians ; the animal spirits with 
the manners of the French. 

A similar comparison may be made with the produc- 
tions of the fine arts. The pictures of the greatest French 
masters have something glowing in the style of colour- 
ing, and theatrical in grouping, attitude, and design. So 
far as my observation extends there is no exjception to 
these remarks. Any one VFho opens bis eyes in the Lou- 
vre, will find them verified in every production of the 
pencil and the chisel. 

It is not easy to give a satisfactory reason for many of 
the peculiarities of French manners. Among* the causes 
which have contributed to render the Parisians in this re- 
spect unlike their neighbors, I do not recollect to have 
heard mentioned their custom of breakfasting in public, 
which, among the middle and lower classes is nearly uni- 



271 

▼ersal. The apartments where families and strangers meet 
every day for this purpose, are superbly furnished — lined 
on all sides with mirrors, and the windows constantly opea 
to the most frequented streets. Into these public apart- 
ments no one presumes to enter without paying due atten- 
tion to his dress, nor forgets, in the presence of elegance 
and decorum, a proper regulation of his manners. The 
families and individuals who frequent these places are 
mere sojourners in their own houses : the business of their 
lives is abroad. It is difficult for an American to conceive 
of such a state of things, but its tendency to produce a 
polished style of manners must be obvious to every one. 

At a coffee-house of this description in the Palais Rot/- 
al, called from the columns with which it is ornamented, 
Mille Colonne^ I noticed this morning a solitary figure 
stalking along the hundred mirrors of this splendid apart- 
ment, toward a vacant chair in the remote corner where 
I was seated. He was a person, about thirty-iive years 
of age, of robust form, with large mustaches, black beard 
and pallid countenance, in a half military dress, but 
of a very unmilitary appearance. It was our late trav'- 
dling companion, Capt, 3Iorton, He had followed 
in the train of Miss P. but like a bird estranged from 
the flock, was bewildered in the fogs of Paris. I 
congratulated him on his good fortune in having jour- 
neyed so far with the lady of his heart. " The long tete a 
tete, has doubtless been well improved." There was no 
smile upon the pale face of the Captain, but an expression 
which showed too plainly that all was settled in favor of 
his rival. 

Since our arrival at Paris we have visited many public 
edifices^ hospitals, gardens, the Louvre, St. Cloud, Ver- 



272 

sallies, and contemplated the splendor and magnificence 
of this great city with unvarying interest and delight ; 
but we have been in no place more highly gratified than 
at the museum of natural history, at present under the 
superintendence of Cuvier. This distinguished observer, 
is forming an era in the natural history of our globe, and 
redeeming the studies connected with geology and the 
theory of the earth, from the ridicule thrown upon them 
by absurd and extravagant speculations ; and effecting a 
revolution as great, as that, when the night of alchemy 
was dissipated by the light of chemical philosophy. 
Chemical investigations are now attended with a weight 
of demonstration which may be compared with mathe- 
matical reasoning; th^ bold and successful enquiries of 
Cuvier lead to conclusions as direct and unavoidable. 
They have been directed principally to the organized re- 
mains of animals, and vegetables, found embedded ia 
rocks and earthy strata ; to the relation of these remains 
to living species of animals and vegetables, and to the 
rocks or earthy beds, wherein they are found. 

Eis accurate and peculiar knowledge of comparative 
anatomy, has enabled him to refer to their classes and 
orders, aquatic and land animals, plants, &c. and fiom 
the inspection of small and broken fragments, to demon- 
strate upon principles of undeviating analogy the truth of 
his conclusions. 

Together with several dislingiiished geologists and 
naturalists of his time, his investigations have led to the 
conclusion, that the surface of the earth is formed of suc- 
cessive strata, arranged one above another, in a determi- 
nate order ; that the first or lowest rocks contain no or- 
ganized remains ; but, the second and third, denominated 



273 

transition and secondary, do invariably contain them ; 
that such as are found in the transition do not occur in 
the secondary, and those in the secondary rocks, do not 
occur in the alluvial formations. 

His enquiries have disclosed a vronderful series of be- 
ings once animated, whose forms are imprinted in imper- 
ishable stone, while the tribes to which they belonged have 
become extinct upon the earth. The praise which is par- 
ticularly due to Cuvier is that of detecting the ojeneric 
characters of plants aud animals from broken and imper- 
fect specimens, and referring them as well as living ani- 
mals to their proper classes and orders. 

The conclusion which he deduces from his numerous 
facts and successful researches, are bold and new, and 
while they admit of being reconciled with the Mosaic ac- 
count of the creation, promise an endless and delightful 
field of research to the lovers of natural science. But a 
higher merit than that of conjecture, is awarded to Cuvier 
by the learned world. His collections exhibit the petri- 
factions of all countries, and sections of the globe, and 
constitute a series of data, which will regulate and direct 
future investigations in this interesting study. If the theory 
be not yet discovered which is to elucidate the disposi- 
tion of the various strata of rocks, and the history of the 
remains of extinct animals, together with the physical 
changes which the present state of our earth proves it to 
have undergone, it is here the philosopher and the natu- 
ralist may repair to contemplate a miniature of the globe, 
and to regulate his future researches. 

Among the numerous petrifactions from America we 
noticed bones of an immense size, labelled " Mastodon, 
by the Anglo-Americans erroneously called Mammoth.'* 



^74 

It would have been grateful to the traveller if his coun- 
trymen had not needed the correction even of Cuvier. 

The petrified remains of extinct and living organized 
beings, form but a part of this great national collection^ 
which is intended as an epitome of natural history ; and 
is rendered particularly interesting to the stranger, as 
aifording evidence of taste and love of science, which 
in itself throws light upon the present state of society, 
and the manners of an age, when many are running to 
and fro, and knowledge is increased. The human mind 
is formed for cultivation, and every truth added to its 
treasure of ideas, raises it in the scale of existence. Is it 
not unworthy the character of man, to gaze in stupid in- 
difference upon the works of nature, or to yield to the 
superstitious belief that it is sacrilegious to enquire into 
her laws ? Atheism is not learned by investigating those 
things which the munificent creator has spread before 
the contemplation of his creatures, and provided for the 
exercise of the human faculties, with the same bounty 
with which he has given the regions of the air to the fea- 
thered tribes, or the caves of ocean to the moniiiters of 
the deep. But Paris, you will say, where art, elegance, 
and refinement, make their abode, is not a fit place to in- 
dulge in an episode upon the charms, or uses, of natural 
objects. The last and most advanced stage of learnings 
and refinement has taught many men, in this city, to turn 
from the intrigues of courts, from the dangers and glo- 
ries of camps, from unmeaning speculations, from monk- 
ish and absurd superstitions, to the investigation o^ 
those sciences which have for their object the knowledge 
of truth. The mind of the devotee in these pursuits is not 
aarrowed, and rendered inexorable towards the heretics 



275 

of its philosophy ; but as it adds to its own store, the 
heart expands in benevolence towards all mankind, and 
in devotion to its maker. 

But it is time to bring these remarks to a close, alrea- 
dy too protracted for a first essay. Should the reception 
of this little work, however, be such as to justify a con- 
tinuation of the Sketches, it is the intention of the author 
to publish another volume, embracing' a few observations 
upon Paris, and giving an account of a year's residence 
in England and Scotland, 



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